As clocks strike midnight on December 31, the new year begins its journey around the globe. Due to Earth's rotation and varying time zones, new year celebrations unfold continuously for nearly 26 hours worldwide.

Samoa and Kiribati (Line Islands) are among the first to welcome the new year. New Zealand follows closely, with major cities like Auckland hosting fireworks and public events hours before much of the world. In just over three hours, these two destinations will launch fireworks to greet 2026.

Conversely, the last places to celebrate are American Samoa and the uninhabited US territories of Howland Island and Baker Island in the Pacific. These regions operate on UTC-12 (Coordinated Universal Time), meaning they transition into the new year nearly a full day after the earliest celebrants. American Samoa will be the final inhabited area to welcome 2026, nearly 25 hours after the earliest celebrations begin in Pacific island nations east of the International Date Line.

The varied timing of new year celebrations stems from the world's division into time zones based on meridians. The International Date Line, located in the Pacific Ocean, serves as the boundary where each new day commences. Countries east of this line experience the new year earlier, while those to the west celebrate significantly later.

Times Square area, New York, US, during late 2024 - early 2025. *Photo: Secretnyc*

Globally, 100,000 to 150,000 flights take off and land daily, with up to 20,000 aircraft airborne at any moment, according to Canadian flight tracking company AeroRoutes.

Many of these flights traverse the International Date Line, leading to scenarios where a flight departing Sydney on a monday afternoon might land in the US on the morning of the same monday.

As the calendar shifts from December 31 to January 1, the "time zone jump" phenomenon offers a unique experience for new year travelers. Some flights departing in 2026 land in 2025, allowing passengers to celebrate New Year's Eve twice in one year.

AeroRoutes reports that approximately 14 passenger flights are scheduled for this "time travel" scenario, taking off on 1/1/2026 and arriving at their destinations on 31/12/2025.

These include: an Air New Zealand flight from Auckland to Rarotonga, Cook Islands; an ANA flight from Tokyo, Japan to Los Angeles, US; and three Cathay Pacific flights from Hong Kong, China to the US and Canada.

The Samoa archipelago presents an even more distinct case, straddling both sides of the International Date Line.

The eastern islands of American Samoa are US territory, while the western islands belong to the independent nation of Samoa. Despite being less than 70 kilometers apart, they lie on opposite sides of the International Date Line. Consequently, passengers flying between these islands take only 30 minutes of actual travel time, but on the calendar, they journey backward from 2026 to 2025.

Conversely, other global flights operate in the opposite direction, typically departing North America and landing in Asia, Australia, or New Zealand. These flights entirely skip the first day of the new year, taking off on December 31 and arriving on January 2, even with a flight time under 24 hours.

New Year customs vary widely across cultures. In Spain, people eat 12 grapes at midnight for good luck. Japan welcomes the new year by ringing temple bells 108 times. In Brazil, many wear white attire and offer flowers to the sea, while Scotland's Hogmanay festival is renowned for its fire celebrations and street parties.

By Phuong Anh (According to India Today, Executive Traveller)