New Year
It’s not Australia nor New Zealand: This is the first country in the world to celebrate the new year 2025
New Year’s Day is around the corner, and the rotation of the Earth and the time difference mean that some regions will welcome 2025 earlier than others.
The year is drawing to a close, and tonight, Tuesday, Dec. 31, the world will say goodbye to 2024. Because of the way the Earth turns, some countries will celebrate the New Year earlier than others.
The planet’s rotation is the basis for dividing the world into 24 different time zones. This means countries will not welcome 2025 at the exact same moment.
The famous fireworks that explode over Sydney Harbor in Australia are often thought to be the first great ceremony to celebrate the New Year on the planet. However, Australians are not the first people who will welcome 2025.
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First country to usher in 2025
The people of the Republic of Kiribati, also known as Christmas Island, are the first to ring in the new year. Given the time difference, it was only 5 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Dec. 31 in the U.S. when the island nation began the year 2025.
Shortly after, Chatham Islands off the eastern coast of New Zealand welcomed the new year as well. These islands are only 15 minutes behind Kiribati.
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After that is the turn of almost all of the rest of New Zealand, Samoa, the Kingdom of Tonga and Tokelau. Next up are Fiji, Russia, Tuvalu, Nauru and the Marshall Islands; and an hour later, most of Australia.
Last country to welcome 2025
Meanwhile, the last region to welcome the New Year will be the Baker and Howland Islands, which are territories of the United States.
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