By Ayomide Otitoju
New Zealand and the Pacific nation of Kiribati are among the first countries to mark the arrival of 2023.
People wait for the fireworks near Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, ahead of Dubai’s New Year’s Eve celebrations at around 8pm UK time.
Thousands of people will attend Edinburgh’s traditional Hogmanay celebrations tonight as it returns for the first time in three years.
The event was cancelled due to COVID restrictions for the last two years.
A woman wearing a mask is among hoards of people gathering in the main business district in Jakarta, Indonesia, to celebrate New Year’s Eve in around an hour’s time.
Organisers said all events hosted in the capital to mark the traditional Hogmanay celebrations in Scotland were sold out.
In Japan, the Chinka-sai, or Fire Prevention Festival, was held at Mikasanohama of Itsukushima Jinja Shrine in Miyajima, for the country’s New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Locals were pictured holding pine torches gathered at the shore near the O-torii, otherwise known as The Grand Gate.
Celebrations kicked off on Friday evening with the night afore party, headlined by pop superstar Sophie Ellis-Bextor with special guests Altered Images.
The Pet Shop Boys will headline the concert in Princes Street Gardens, while those attending the annual street party will be treated to DJ sets.
Fireworks will lift off every hour between 9pm and 11pm, counting down to the traditional midnight display.
More spectacular images from Bangkok’s NYE celebrations show fireworks exploding over the Wat Arun of the temple of dawn and the Chao Phraya River.
Revellers celebrate on the streets of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, during New Year’s Eve celebrations. The country rung in the new year at around 4pm UK time.
Japan prays on New Year’s day
NYE celebrations, people wait in a queue before they pray at the main hall of Sensoji Buddhist temple on New Year’s Day in Tokyo.
A man is also pictured ringing in the new year by joining a Buddhist ritual called “Joya no Kane” at the Sensoji Buddhist temple. In the ritual, temple bells are tolled 108 times to get rid of people’s 108 vices and earthly desires from the previous year, and to make a fresh start in the new year.
Fireworks explode over Victoria Harbour to celebrate the New Year in Hong Kong, China.
Celebrations in Wuhan, China
People release balloons as they gather to ring in 2023 at 4pm UK time amid a COVID outbreak in Wuhan, China.
Police guard an area to avoid mass gatherings during New Year’s Eve celebrations, amid a fresh COVID outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei province, China.
New Year’s the Eve prompted reflection online and by residents of Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus outbreak nearly three years ago, about the zero-COVID policy and the impact of its reversal.
People in the central city of Wuhan expressed hope that normal life would return in 2023 despite a surge in cases since pandemic curbs were lifted
The clock has struck midnight in Japan, Tokyo, Seoul, Pyongyang, Dili and Ngerulmud.
The below shows people gathering before the New Year’s countdown event at downtown Seoul, South Korea.
