New Year 2025: Which country will ring in first and which will be last?

New Year 2025 is just around the corner. However, due to the varying time zones worldwide, nations welcome the New Year at different times. Some 40 countries celebrate the New Year ahead of India

Millions of people worldwide are getting ready to greet the new year as the clock approaches midnight on December 31. Because of the Earth's rotation and the multiple time zones, the transition into 2025 will be celebrated at different times by different regions.  

 

About 40 nations celebrate the New Year before India, and nations all over the world add their own customs to this joyous occasion, demonstrating how diverse this planet is in its celebration of a new beginning. 

 

The world is divided into 24 time zones, based on each longitude, each having its own standard time, which is why the New Year is celebrated at different times in different countries. India goes by the Indian Standard Time (IST), which is 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC +5:30).

Where is the first New Year's celebration held?

Kiritimati Island is the first location on Earth to celebrate the new year. This Pacific Ocean atoll, which is a part of the Republic of Kiribati, is also referred to as Christmas Island. In terms of land area, it is among the biggest atolls in the world. 

 

There was a time when the international date line passed through Kiribati, which meant that a person's location would determine the day. To provide uniformity throughout its islands and draw tourists hoping to be the first to ring in the new year, Kiribati changed the international date line in 1995. The Chatham Islands and Tonga in New Zealand greet the new year after Kiritimati Island. 

Which place celebrates the last New Year?

It’s the islands of American Samoa and Niue to Kiribati’s southwest in the South Pacific that ring in the new year last. While the day ends an hour later on Baker Island and Howland Island, both these US territories are uninhabited. 

 

Also, Samoa (not American Samoa) was among the last nations to celebrate the New Year; however, in 2011, when the nation switched time zones to coincide with Australia and New Zealand, its trading partners, Samoa is now among the first nations to do so.

Which nations celebrate the New Year's Day before India?

Many countries fall into this category because of the many time zones around the world. Around 41 countries celebrate the new year before India. Australia, New Zealand, Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, some regions of Russia, Myanmar, Japan, and Indonesia are a few of these nations.