2025 begins in Kiribati: Kiritimati island begins New Year celebrations 8.5 hours before India

While much of the world is eagerly awaiting 2025, the island nation of Kiribati has already welcomed the New Year, becoming the first country to usher in January 1, 2025. The island of Kiritimati, located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, also known as Christmas Island, celebrated the New Year. The arrival of the New Year as the clock struck midnight earlier today.

The island operates 14 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and 8.5 hours ahead of India. This means that when it was 3:30 in the afternoon of December 31, 2024 in India, Kiritimati was already welcoming the dawn of January 1, 2025. The celebrations on this small Pacific island marked the official start of global New Year celebrations.

Kiritimati residents ushered in the New Year with fireworks, music and lively celebrations. A joyous atmosphere filled the island as locals embraced the new beginning of 2025, setting the tone for celebrations to spread to the rest of the world.

For India, the time difference is striking. As Kiribati celebrated the arrival of 2025, Indian cities and towns were still preparing for their grand New Year celebrations, which were scheduled to begin later in the evening.

After early Kiribati celebrations, New Zealand’s Chatham Islands welcomed the New Year just 15 minutes later at 5:15 a.m. ET. They were soon followed by mainland New Zealand and several Pacific islands, including Tokelau and Tonga. As time zones moved forward, the New Year gradually made its way around the world, with each region bringing its own unique traditions and celebrations to the occasion.

Kiribati’s early 2025 celebration highlights the beauty of time zones, creating a seamless flow of joy as the New Year is celebrated at different times around the world. Each region adds its own cultural flavor to this global event.

Hawaii, American Samoa and some US territories will be among the last countries to welcome 2025, as their clocks will strike midnight in the early hours of January 1. With 38 different local times, it takes a full 26 hours to ring in the New Year. It is celebrated in every time zone, making it a truly global phenomenon.

The following is the order of how countries will enter the year 2025:

3.30pm EDT: Kiribati

It’s 4.30pm New Zealand time

5.30pm EDT: Fiji, small areas of Russia

6.30pm IST: Australian mush

8.30pm EST: Japan and South Korea

9.30pm EST: China, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Philippines

India, Sri Lanka (5 hours and 30 minutes before GMT)

1.30am EST: UAE, Oman and Azerbaijan

3.30am EST: Greece, South Africa, Cyprus, Egypt and Namibia

4.30am EST: Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands, Morocco, Congo, Malta.

5.30 AM IST: UK, Ireland, Portugal

8.30am EST: Brazil, Argentina, Chile

9.30am EST: Puerto Rico, Bermuda, Venezuela, US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands

10.30 AM EST: US East Coast (New York, Washington, D.C., Etec,) Peru, Cuba, Bahamas

11.30am EDT: Mexico, parts of Canada and the United States

1.30pm EST: US West Coast (Los Angeles, San Francisco, etc.)

3.30pm EST: Hawaii, French Polynesia

4.30pm EDT: Samoa

Thus the New Year begins its journey around the globe, starting in Kiribati and gradually reaching every corner of the world. It unites people in a common celebration, linking time zones and cultures in a collective expression of joy and hope for the coming year.