Happy New Year! How countries enta 2026

Many countries across di world don welcome 2026.

Kiritimati (GMT+14), also known as Christmas Island, dey known as di first place for di world to celebrate di new year.

Di island na part of di Pacific Ocean nation Kiribati, wey dey located south of Hawaii and north-east of Australia.

E dey made up of several islands - ring-shaped coral reefs - and spans almost 4,000km from east to west.

One tourist, Bryant Dunn, wey be fly fishing businessman from di US, dey celebrate di new year dia wit im partner Waata Binoka Randolph – wey dem born and raise for Kiritimati.

"We go celebrate 2026 for beach wit no satellites, no signs of human life, complete darkness and countless crabs," Bryant tok.

How countries enta di New Year

New Zealand Chatham Island (GMT + 13:45) na di next group to welcome 2026.

About a sixth of di population of di remote archipelago - mainly locals – bin spend di last moments of 2025 for Hotel Chatham bar, di owner, Toni Croon.

Samoa, Tonga and Tokelau - one dependent territory of New Zealand don also welcome 2026!

As UK enta midday, many more countries don dey enta di new year.

Fiji dey among dem. Odas for di Pacific Islands include di Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Nauru. Some parts of Russia too don welcome 2026.

Pipo spray water from 'bamboo guns' for Fiji to celebrate di new year.

Sydney don also welcome 2026 wit ogbonge fireworks display.

Vanuatu, di Solomon Islands and Bougainville - one autonomous region of Papua New Guinea don enta 2026.

Oda parts of Australia, Queensland - di state wia you fit see Brisbane and di Great Barrier Reef don Sydney in 2026.

Over 4,500 kilometres (around 2,800 miles) north, di pacific island of Guam also dey step into di new year.

Australia Northern Territory, including Darwin, Alice Springs and Tennant Creek don welcome di new year.

Di remote nation of Tokelau don enta 2026.

Tokelau dey made up of three small Pacific islands and e get population of around 1,500 pipo. Di area dey so remote so tey, e dey take around 24 hours to travel to Samoa, di nearest mainland, by boat.

To celebrate 2026 islanders go enjoy chop-chop wit dia families on 1 January, govment official Aukusitino Vitale tell BBC.

Dem go roast suckling pigs wey dey live on di island, and dem go import carrots, cabbages, apples and oranges for di occasion.

On 2 January, di islands traditionally go play one game of Kilikiti.

"E be like cricket except you get one hundred pipo wey dey play," Aukusitino explain. "Sometimes e dey go on for two weeks wit di children, women and men games."

Many of di islanders go go church for new year and pray for good weather as na cyclone season, e add.

While e dey very remote, di island dey manage to stay well connected as dem dey use internet and a number of residents now use Starlink – di high speed internet network wey Elon Musk Space X.

Japan, South Korea and North Korea don enta di new year. Dem enta wit di traditional bell-ringing ceremonies for dia capital cities.

Western Australia and Australian east coast now dey for 2026.

Asian countries enta di new year wit festivities, fireworks plus spectacular drone displays.

China and dia population of around 1.4 billion pipo too don follow enta di new year, togeda wit the Philippines, Malaysia and parts of Indonesia.

Mongolia, Taiwan, Brunei, Irkutsk for Russia, Perth for western Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau and some regions of Antarctica don dey for year 2026.

Di new year continue to sweep across Asia - Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Jakarta for di west of Indonesia dey among di places wey just hit midnight.

Bangladesh don welcome in 2026.

Nepal too don enta di new year.

India, di kontri wit di largest population of nearly 1.5 billion pipo don open di door to 2026, togeda wit dia neighbour Sri Lanka.

Pakistan don follow enta 2026.

Afghanistan now don enta di new year.

Fireworks, bells, and watermelons - New Year traditions across di world

Dis na how some countries across di globe dey take celebrate di new year.

Big displays

Fireworks na something almost all countries dey do to welcome di new year.

Big displays of fireworks dey take place across di world as midnight set in, from Sydney Harbour for Australia to Copacabana Beach for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Smashing plates

One of Denmark traditions na to smash plates on your friend doorsteps, wey di Danish say go bring dem good luck ova di next 12 months.

For US, pipo for New York go countdown to di Times Square ball drop – wen one glittery ball go move down one flag pole, e go reach di bottom as di clock strike midnight.

Watermelons and grapes

Meanwhile, pipo for Vincennes, Indiana, dey known for dropping watermelons on di ground.

For Spain, grapes na di snack of choice. Na dia tradition to eat one grape each time di clock strike for midnight - so dem go chop 12 grapes quick quick – as dem hope for 12 lucky months in di year ahead.

Bell ringing (and ringing... and ringing)

Ringing bells na anoda tradition for some for Japan and South Korea.

For Japan, dem go ring di bells 108 times – dem dey use noise start di year.

Lots of legumes

Lentils symbolise tidings of good fortune for di new year for pipo for Brazil, so many pipp dia go chop plenty of Legumes as part of dia celebrations.

Prayers

Although, dis fit no be tradition, but for Nigeria, many pipo dey go church or mosque to pray into di year. Bifor di clock strike 12 midnight, dem go dey dia various places of worship, dey thank God and pray for di year. As di clock strike 12, dem go shout Happy New Year.

Fotos: New Year welcomed around di world