People around the world are welcoming 2018 with traditional fireworks displays, partying and an array of local traditions.
One of the first countries to welcome the new year was Australia, where fireworks exploded over the iconic Sydney Opera House as people watched from boats in the harbor nearby.
Hundreds of couples took part in a mass wedding ceremony in Jakarta, Indonesia, on New Year’s Eve designed to help the poor who were unable to afford a proper wedding.
Fireworks explode over Sydney Harbour during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Sydney, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (David Moir/AAP Image via AP)
Buddhists lit candles during New Year celebrations at Jogyesa temple in Seoul, South Korea.
In some other places, the tone was more somber. Just hours after a fireworks display over the Taedong River in Pyongyang, North Korea, leader Kim Jong Un said in a New Year’s Day speech the country had achieved the historic feat of “completing” its nuclear forces despite U.S. opposition.
Some 100 people gathered outside the Reina nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, to remember victims of a New Year’s mass shooting a year ago. The group, holding carnations, observed a moment of silence for 39 people killed in the attack.
In Scotland, a torchlight procession began Edinburgh’s famed Hogmanay New Year’s Eve celebration.
A woman in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, threw flowers into the water to ask Yemanja, goddess of the sea, for good luck in the new year.
Revelers gathered for the annual ball drop in New York’s Times Square bundled in several layers of clothes to keep warm in frigid temperatures.
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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)
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)
Buddhists light candles during New Year celebrations at Jogyesa Buddhist temple in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Fireworks explode over the downtown Beirut, Lebanon, during New Year’s celebrations, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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)
Fireworks explode over the temple of the Parthenon at the Acropolis hill to mark the New Year’s celebrations in Athens, Greece, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)
Bosnian people celebrate New Year in downtown Sarajevo, Bosnia, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Amel Emric)
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)
A firework explodes over the Arc de Triomphe as part of the New Year celebrations on the Champs Elysees, in Paris, France, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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)
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)
A woman offers flowers to Yemanja, goddess of the sea, for good luck in the coming year during New Year’s Eve festivities in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. The belief in the goddess comes from the African Yoruba religion brought to America by West African slaves. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Revelers gathered on Times Square in New York watch the ceremonial ball rise to the top of a pole high above the street Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017, in preparation for the ball drop during New Year’s Eve celebrations. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
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)
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