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Photos: People ring in 2018 across the world

WTOP Staff

December 31, 2017, 11:30 PM

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WASHINGTON — Celebrations all over the world welcomed the arrival of a new year with fireworks and national traditions. See photos of New Year’s celebrations from across the globe.

Fireworks light the sky above the Quadriga at the Brandenburg Gate during New Year’s celebrations shortly after midnight in Berlin, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
AP Photo/Markus Schreiber
Fireworks explode over the River Thames behind the Elizabeth Tower which contains the bell know as “Big Ben”, at the Houses of Parliament in London, as New Year’s celebrations take place after midnight, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. Scaffolding stands erected around the Elizabeth Tower for repairs, with the last extensive conservation works taking place more than 30 years ago. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
AP Photo/Matt Dunham
Fireworks light the sky above the Quadriga at the Brandenburg Gate during New Year’s celebrations shortly after midnight in Berlin, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
AP Photo/Markus Schreiber
Spectators gather ahead of the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square in New York, on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. New Yorkers, celebrity entertainers and tourists from around the world will pack into Times Square for what's expected to be a flashy but frigid celebration marking the start to the new year. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)
Spectators gather ahead of the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square in New York, on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. New Yorkers, celebrity entertainers and tourists from around the world will pack into Times Square for what’s expected to be a flashy but frigid celebration marking the start to the new year. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)
AP Photo/Peter Morgan
Pope Francis stops to greet the faithful after praying in front of the nativity scene after celebrating a new year’s eve vespers Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
AP Photo/Andrew Medichini
Tourists watch a fireworks display in front of Malaysia's landmark building, the Petronas Twin Towers, during the New Year's celebration in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Sadiq Asyraf)
Tourists watch a fireworks display in front of Malaysia’s landmark building, the Petronas Twin Towers, during the New Year’s celebration in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Sadiq Asyraf)
AP Photo/Sadiq Asyraf
Fireworks explode in front of Malaysia's landmark building, the Petronas Twin Towers, during the New Year's celebration in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Sadiq Asyraf)
Fireworks explode in front of Malaysia’s landmark building, the Petronas Twin Towers, during the New Year’s celebration in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Sadiq Asyraf)
AP Photo/Sadiq Asyraf
Fireworks explode above Singapore's financial district at the stroke of midnight to mark the New Year's celebrations on Monday, Jan. 1, 2018, in Singapore. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
Fireworks explode above Singapore’s financial district at the stroke of midnight to mark the New Year’s celebrations on Monday, Jan. 1, 2018, in Singapore. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
A runner in indigenous attire poses for a photo prior to the Sao Silvestre race in Sao Paulo, Brazil, early Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. The 15-kilometer race is held annually on New Year's Eve. (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine)
A runner in indigenous attire poses for a photo prior to the Sao Silvestre race in Sao Paulo, Brazil, early Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. The 15-kilometer race is held annually on New Year’s Eve. (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine)
AP Photo/Nelson Antoine
Residents wear 2018 glasses, during New Year's Eve to celebrate the upcoming year 2018 in Hong Kong, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Residents wear 2018 glasses, during New Year’s Eve to celebrate the upcoming year 2018 in Hong Kong, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
AP Photo/Kin Cheung
Fireworks explode over Sydney Harbour during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. (David Moir/AAP Image via AP)
David Moir/AAP Image via AP
Fireworks explode over Sydney Harbour during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Sydney, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. (David Moir/AAP Image via AP)
David Moir/AAP Image via AP
Fireworks explode over Sydney Harbour during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Sydney, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (David Moir/AAP Image via AP)
David Moir/AAP Image via AP
A runner in costume poses for a photo prior to the start of Sao Silvestre race in Sao Paulo, Brazil, early Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. The 15-kilometer race is held annually on New Year’s Eve. (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine)
AP Photo/Nelson Antoine
Runners start the Sao Silvestre race in Sao Paulo, Brazil, early Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. The 15-kilometer race is held annually on New Year’s Eve. (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine)
AP Photo/Nelson Antoine
A child wearing a bear fur costume yawns during a parade of new year’s rituals in Comanesti, northern Romania, Saturday, Dec. 30, 2017. The tradition, originating in pre-Christian times, when dancers wearing colored costumes or animal furs, went from house to house in villages singing and dancing to ward off evil, has moved to Romania’s cities, where dancers travel to perform the ritual for money. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda
A man prays as he holds necklaces, as symbols of protection, during a ceremony for Yemanja, goddess of the sea, that is part of traditional New Year’s celebrations on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Dec. 29, 2017. As the year winds down, Brazilian worshippers of Yemanja celebrate the deity, offering flowers and launching large and small boats into the ocean in exchange for blessings in the coming year. The belief in the goddess comes from the African Yoruban religion brought to America by West African slaves. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
A faithful carries a boat filled with offerings for Yemanja, goddess of the sea, during a ceremony that is part of traditional New Year’s celebrations on Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Dec. 29, 2017. As the year winds down, Brazilian worshippers of Yemanja celebrate the deity, offering flowers and launching large and small boats into the ocean in exchange for blessings in the coming year. The belief in the goddess comes from the African Yoruban religion brought to America by West African slaves. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
North Koreans watch as fireworks explode as part of New Year celebrations, above the Taedong River as viewed from Kim Il Sung Square, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin)
AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin
A bride and groom react to their marriage documents during a mass wedding held in celebration of the New Year in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. Hundreds of couples took part in the mass marriage held by the city government to help the poor who were unable to afford a proper wedding. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
AP Photo/Dita Alangkara
A groom kisses his bride during a mass wedding held in celebration of the New Year in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. Hundreds of couples took part in the mass marriage held by the city government to help the poor who were unable to afford a proper wedding. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
AP Photo/Dita Alangkara
People walk in popular Istiklal Street near the city’s main Taksim Square as people remember the victims of a deadly New Year’s attack a year ago, in Istanbul, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. Early on Jan. 1, 2017, an assailant shot his way into the Reina nightclub where hundreds were celebrating the New Year. Thirty-nine people were killed — mostly foreigners — and 79 wounded. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
AP Photo/Emrah Gurel
Filipino revelers watch as fireworks light up the sky to welcome the New Year Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017 at the seaside Mall of Asia in suburban Pasay city south of Manila, Philippines. Hours before midnight, authorities had already reported dozens have been injured by celebratory firecrackers in the Philippines, which has some of the most raucous New Year celebrations in Asia. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
AP Photo/Bullit Marquez
Fireworks explode over the Victoria Harbor during New Year’s Eve to celebrate the start of year 2018 in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
AP Photo/Kin Cheung
Fireworks explode over the Victoria Harbor during New Year’s Eve to celebrate the start of year 2018 in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
AP Photo/Kin Cheung
Participants push away drums after a count down to the New Year event in Beijing, China, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
Participants of a count down to the New Year event marking the passage into 2018 in Beijing, China, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
Fireworks explode with slogan reading “Happiness and Good Condition Together” on the Taipei 101 building during the New Year’s celebrations in Taipei, Taiwan, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying
Fireworks explode from the Taipei 101 building during the New Year’s celebrations in Taipei, Taiwan, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying
The torchlight procession which marks the opening of city’s New Year celebrations, makes its way through Edinburgh, Saturday Dec. 30, 2017. Torchbearers blaze through the city accompanied by a cast of pipers and drummers with the procession starting at St Giles cathedral and making its way down the Royal Mile towards Holyrood Park, passing the Scottish Parliament and the Palace of Holyrood House. (David Cheskin/PA via AP)
David Cheskin/PA via AP
People dressed as Vikings get ready to lead a torchlight procession in Edinburgh, which marks the opening of Edinburgh’s New Year celebrations, Saturday Dec. 30, 2017. Torchbearers will blaze through the city accompanied by a cast of pipers and drummers with the procession starting at St Giles cathedral and making its way down the Royal Mile towards Holyrood Park, passing the Scottish Parliament and the Palace of Holyrood House. (David Cheskin/PA via AP)
David Cheskin/PA via AP
President Donald Trump arrives for a New Year’s Eve gala at his Mar-a-Lago resort with first lady Melania Trump and their son Barron, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
People grab for scarves being handed out in Times Square as they gather for a New Year’s celebration in New York, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. New Yorkers, celebrity entertainers and tourists from around the world are packing into a frigid Times Square Sunday to mark the start of 2018 with a glittering crystal ball drop, a burst of more than a ton of confetti and midnight fireworks. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
AP Photo/Seth Wenig
Revelers wait for midnight during the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square as seen from the Marriot Marquis in New York, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. New Yorkers, celebrity entertainers and tourists from around the world are packing into a frigid Times Square Sunday to mark the start of 2018 with a glittering crystal ball drop, a burst of more than a ton of confetti and midnight fireworks. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
AP Photo/Seth Wenig
Helen Kim’s glasses are fogged up as she tries to keep warm during the New Year’s celebration in Times Square, New York, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. New Yorkers, celebrity entertainers and tourists from around the world are packing into a frigid Times Square Sunday to mark the start of 2018 with a glittering crystal ball drop, a burst of more than a ton of confetti and midnight fireworks. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
AP Photo/Seth Wenig
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Spectators gather ahead of the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square in New York, on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. New Yorkers, celebrity entertainers and tourists from around the world will pack into Times Square for what's expected to be a flashy but frigid celebration marking the start to the new year. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)
Tourists watch a fireworks display in front of Malaysia's landmark building, the Petronas Twin Towers, during the New Year's celebration in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Sadiq Asyraf)
Fireworks explode in front of Malaysia's landmark building, the Petronas Twin Towers, during the New Year's celebration in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Sadiq Asyraf)
Fireworks explode above Singapore's financial district at the stroke of midnight to mark the New Year's celebrations on Monday, Jan. 1, 2018, in Singapore. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
A runner in indigenous attire poses for a photo prior to the Sao Silvestre race in Sao Paulo, Brazil, early Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. The 15-kilometer race is held annually on New Year's Eve. (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine)
Residents wear 2018 glasses, during New Year's Eve to celebrate the upcoming year 2018 in Hong Kong, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Revelers in Australia watched fireworks over Sydney Harbour. In North Korea, fireworks exploded over the Taedong River.

Elsewhere, the tone was more somber. In Turkey, some 100 people gathered outside Istanbul’s Reina nightclub to remember the victims of a deadly New Year’s attack a year ago. The group, holding carnations, observed a moment of silence. The attack happened early last Jan. 1, when an assailant shot his way into the nightclub, killing 39 people — most of them foreigners — and wounding 79.

In Scotland, a major windstorm caused some problems, but organizers expected Edinburgh’s famed Hogmany New Year’s Eve celebration to be unaffected.

In New York, revelers passed through security hours before the annual ball drop in Times Square.

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