Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Happy New Year! World Fesitivities Have Begun= - BBC

Heightened security measures are in place in a freezing Times Square in NYC, where anti-police protestors say they will disrupt the festivities..

Meanwhile, just a peek at some of the other celebrations that have already taken place

New Year's Eve: Global celebrations bring in 2015

Fireworks light up the skies around the world as millions welcome 2015
Celebrations for the start of 2015 have taken place across Asia and Europe, with firework displays in a host of major cities.
New Zealand led the way, with Sydney Harbour providing a spectacular backdrop to Australia's display.
There was shock in Asia as a crush in Shanghai, China saw 35 people die marking the start of 2015.
Europe's celebrations began in Moscow with fireworks over St Basil's Cathedral and the Kremlin.
Up to 1.5m people lined the shores of Sydney harbour to see the city's famous firework display.
The city's Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, said the recent hostage crisis in the city had focussed the minds of Sydney residents.
"We are celebrating that we are a multicultural, harmonious community but we will be thinking about what happened," he said.
New Year fireworks in Sydney, 31 December 2014Sydney's Harbour Bridge was the centrepiece of the city's new year fireworks
Celebration plans were muted in Indonesia in the wake of the recent AirAsia Flight QZ8501 crash.
But across the rest of Asia there were lavish parties, with a sound and light show at Beijing's Olympic stadium and an eight-minute firework display in Hong Kong.
"I think a more peaceful year would be good for everyone," Louis Ho, 65, told AFP news agency, as the territory bade farewell to a year that saw widespread street protests.
Moscow's display led the way in Europe, with President Vladimir Putin describing the 2014 annexation of Crimea as "a historic landmark" for Russia.
Fireworks in MoscowMoscow's skyline lit up as fireworks flared over the Kremlin and St Basil's Cathedral
Mr Putin also sent messages to several world leaders, telling US President Barack Obama that the US and Russia had a shared interest in "maintaining peace and international stability".
In Brazil, more than one million people will join the crowds on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach, while New Yorkers will watch the city lower its trademark crystal ball over Times Square.
Pacific Islands just to the west of the international date line, including Samoa, Kiribati and the Chatham Islands of New Zealand, were the first places to herald the new year.
Fireworks explode over the Victoria Harbour to celebrate the 2015 new year in Hong Kong, Wednesday 1 January 2015Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour was lit up by fireworks as the clock hit midnight
Shinto priests walk through a wooden tore gate after concluding an yearend ritual in preparation for the New Year at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, Japan, 31 December 2014. Shinto priests conduct an end of year ritual ahead of the new year at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. Over the coming days, more than three million people are expected to visit the shrine to pray for health and prosperity in 2015 
A man hangs a wooden plaque with people's wishes or prayers on a hook during ceremonies bidding farewell to 2014, at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo on 31 December 2014People hung wooden plaques with wishes or prayers for 2015 at the shrine 
Students form "2015" standing on snow to welcome the upcoming New Year at Shenyang Agriculture University in Shenyang, Liaoning province, 31 December 2014. Students at China's Shenyang Agriculture University found their own way of marking the start of 2015
Indian students form numbers representing the year 2015 during a function to welcome the New Year at a school in Ahmadabad, India, on 31 December 2014It was a similar picture from students in Ahmadabad, India 
A woman prays during New Year celebrations at Jogye Buddhist temple in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, 1 January 2015.A woman prays during new year celebrations at Jogye Buddhist temple in Seoul, South Korea
Runners in BrazilRunners in Brazil's annual Sao Silvestre race in Sao Paulo warmed up for the night of celebration with a 15km run
A college student with paintings of a sheep on their hands to welcome the new year, and to mark the coming "Year of the Sheep", in Liaocheng, in eastern China's Shandong province on 30 December 2014 2015 is the "Year of the Sheep" in China, as illustrated by this student in eastern Shandong province
A man and a woman dressed as Father Frost (L) and his granddaughter (2-L) wave from a horse-drawn carriage as they take part in a New Year parade in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, 31 December 2014. Grandfather Frost - the Russian equivalent of Father Christmas - and his granddaughter joined Kyrgyzstan's new year parade in Bishkek
Onlookers write and post their New Year wishes on a wishing wall display at a mall in Quezon city, metro Manila 31 December 2014. A wishing wall is on display in the Philippines capital, Manila. Around 50,000 posted wishes will be used as confetti alongside fireworks to herald in the new year
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Send us your pictures of your new year celebrations by emailing yourpics@bbc.co.uk

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