Asia welcomes 2023 with parties after the coronavirus

With countdowns and fireworks, residents of various urban centers in the Asia-Pacific region welcomed the first New Year without COVID-19 restrictions since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

While the coronavirus continues to cause death and consternation, especially in China, which is battling a surge in infections after easing its strict measures, authorities are now treating the virus as a threat to live with.

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In China, celebrations have been organized on the Great Wall in Beijing, while in Shanghai authorities will block traffic along the Bund to allow passers-by to gather on the promenade on New Year’s Eve. The Disneyland amusement park in the Chinese city will offer a special fireworks display to receive 2023.

On the last day of the war-torn year in Ukraine, many Ukrainians returned to the capital kyiv to spend New Year’s Eve with their loved ones. As the Russian attacks continue to target power supplies, no big celebrations are expected and there will be a curfew as the clock strikes the end of the year. But for most Ukrainians, meeting with their families is already a luxury.

People take a selfie as they gather for New Year’s Eve celebrations at the main roundabout in Jakarta, Indonesia, on December 31, 2022. (EFE/EPA/MAST IRHAM/)

Mykyta, still dressed in his military uniform, clutched a bouquet of pink roses as he waited for his wife Valeriia to arrive from Poland at platform 9. He hadn’t seen her in six months. “The truth is that it has been very difficult to wait so long,” he told The Associated Press after hugging and kissing Valeriia.

The couple declined to share their last name for security reasons, as Mykyta has been fighting on the southern and eastern Ukrainian fronts. Valeriia took refuge from the conflict in Spain, but later moved to Poland. When asked what plans they had for New Year’s Eve, Valeriia replied: “Just to be together”.

Concern about the war in Ukraine and the economic shocks it has caused around the world were also felt in Tokyo, where Shigeki Kawamura has seen better days.

“I hope that the war in Ukraine ends so that prices stabilize,” he said. “Nothing good has happened for the people since we have Mr. Kishida,” he said, referring to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

“Our salary does not go up and our condition worsens. The privileged may do well, but not those of us who work so hard,” Kawamura said.

Kawamura was one of hundreds of people lining up in the cold around a Tokyo park for a free New Year’s meal of sukiyaki (beef cooked in sweet sauce) with rice.

“I hope the new year brings work and self-sufficiency,” said Takaharu Ishiwata, who lives in foster care and hasn’t found a lucrative job in years.

In addition to the sukiyaki food boxes, volunteers handed out bananas, onions, egg cartons and small hand warmers in the park. Posts for medical and other consultations were set up.

Fireworks explode over Victoria Harbor to celebrate the New Year in Hong Kong, China, on January 1, 2023. (REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/)

Kenji Seino, who runs the Tenohasi food program, which means “bridge of hands,” said the number of people coming for food was on the rise as the coronavirus pandemic made it harder to find a job and the prices go up

Meanwhile, more than a million people are expected to flock to Sydney’s waterfront for a million-dollar celebration that will revolve around diversity and inclusion.

Organizers said the main element of the New Year’s Eve party will be a rainbow-colored waterfall. More than 7,000 fireworks will be launched from the top of the city’s Port Bridge, plus another 2,000 from the Opera.

It’s the “party Sydney deserves,” Stephen Gilby, a producer of the city’s major events and festivals, told The Sydney Morning Herald.

In Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city, organizers staged a fireworks display for families along the Yarra River at sunset, before a second showing at midnight.

The Pacific island nation of Kiribati will be the first country to enter in 2023, an hour before its neighbors New Zealand.

In Auckland, large crowds are expected under the Sky Tower for the 10-second countdown that will precede the fireworks that will welcome the new year. The festivities are expected to be well received after the pandemic forced its cancellation a year ago.

Source: Elcomercio