Every year, we come together to light fireworks and sing renditions of “Auld Lang Syne” to cheer in the new year. Waves of photos, of course, come out of these celebrations; some of shared moments of social togetherness, others catching brilliant pyrotechnic displays.
The following images are some of our favourites collected around the globe – from family celebrating on the streets of Amritsar, India to lovers sneaking in a kiss on a Ferris wheel ride in Edinburgh, Scotland – all capturing compelling moments of happiness and light.
Happy New Year!
Sydney, Australia
AP Photo/Rob Griffith
Fireworks explode over the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House during New Year's Eve celebrations in Sydney, Australia on Jan. 1, 2014.
Seoul, South Korea
AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon
A Buddhist woman attaches her name card on a lantern ahead of the new year at Chogye Buddhist temple in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013.
Pyongyang, North Korea
AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon
Fireworks explode over Juche Tower and the Taedong River in Pyongyang, North Korea to celebrate the New Year on Jan 1, 2014.
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Beijing, China
AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
Laser lights shoot from a tower during a New Year's Eve count down to 2014 held at the Great Wall of China in Beijing, China on Dec. 31, 2013.
Bali Island, Indonesia
AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati
Balinese girls in traditional costumes gather during a parade for this year's last sundown in Bali island, Indonesia on New Year's Eve on Dec. 31, 2013.
Amritsar, India
NARINDER NANU/AFP/Getty Images
An Indian reveller poses on New Year's Eve in Amritsar on December 31, 2013.
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Yangon, Myanmar
AP Photo/Khin Maung Win
Revelers cheer as they enjoy performances during the New Year's Eve celebration in Yangon, Myanmar on Jan. 1, 2014.
Moscow, Russia
AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin
People celebrate the New Year at the Red Square during of the New Year festivities, in Moscow, Russia on Jan. 1, 2014, with St. Basil Cathedral is in the background.
Vilnius, Lithuania
AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis
Fireworks light the sky above the Cathedral Square in Vilnius, Lithuania shortly after midnight during the New Year's Eve celebrations on Jan. 1, 2014. Thousands of people celebrated the beginning of the New Year 2014 in the Lithuanian capital.
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Kiev, Ukraine
AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky
Pro-European Union activists hold light as they sing the Ukrainian national anthem, celebrating the New Year in the Ukrainian capital Kiev's main square on Jan. 1, 2014. At least 100,000 Ukrainians sang the country's national anthem together at the square on New Year's Eve in a sign of support for integration with Europe. Opposition leaders had called on Ukrainians to come to Kiev's Maidan on the New Year's Eve and sing the national anthem in an act of defiance and what they expected could be the record-breaking live singing of an anthem.
Edinburgh, Scotland
AP Photo / David Cheskin
People ride a Ferris wheel as fireworks illuminate the sky over Edinburgh, Scotland, during late New Year's eve celebrations on Dec. 31. The celebrations this year are combined with marking the upcoming 2014 Commonwealth games.
London, England
AP Photo/Alastair Grant
Fireworks explode over the Houses of Parliament, including Queen Elizabeth II tower which holds the bell known as Big Ben as London celebrates the arrival of New Year's Day on Jan. 1, 2014. The annual firework display is the culmination of the New Year's Eve celebrations.
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Key West, Fla., U.S.
AP Photo/Florida Keys News Bureau, Rob O'Neal
Evalena Worthington, in a pirate wench costume, practices her New Year's Eve descent from the top of a sailing ship's mast at the Schooner Wharf Bar in Key West, Fla. As midnight approaches on Dec. 31, Worthington is to be lowered as a facet of one of four unique "drops" in Key West to mark the beginning of 2014.
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