Capital cities around the world have ushered in 2013 with spectacular firework displays. Source: AAP
A MILLION people cheered in New York's Times Square as the traditional crystal ball dropped to mark the start of 2013, bringing a rolling global New Year's party that kicked off in Australia to US shores.
An estimated one billion television viewers around the world also watched the Big Apple extravaganza, which climaxed when Mayor Michael Bloomberg, aided by a bevy of Rockettes dancers, sent the huge, glittering ball down at one minute to midnight, sparking kissing and dancing.
"It's something you need to do in your life - it's New York and New Year's Eve," said an excited Juli, 18, visiting from Austria.
Worldwide celebrations got started on a balmy summer's night in Sydney with a $A6.69 million pyrotechnics display curated by pop star Kylie Minogue the highlight.
From there, the endless party shifted to a kaleidoscopic eight-minute jamboree in Hong Kong, with the city's famed Victoria Harbour lit up in spectacular fashion, and fireworks across other Asian cities including, for the first time, Yangon in long-isolated Myanmar (Burma).
As the stroke of midnight moved westwards through time zones, the world's tallest building, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, was the centrepiece of festivities in the huge expatriate and tourist hub.
In Britain, tens of thousands braved rain on the banks of the Thames to see fireworks and the London Eye wheel lit up in changing colours.
"What an amazing end to an incredible year," said London Mayor Boris Johnson, alluding to the Olympic and royal spectaculars of 2012.
Across the Atlantic, the mood was more sombre in Washington, where the White House and congressional leaders took their fiscal cliff wrangle over the budget down to the midnight wire.
New York made up for that, though, with South Korean pop sensation Psy and country star Taylor Swift in the line-up and the Empire State Building blazing in an unusual pulsating light display.
In South America, Rio de Janeiro had a bumper 16-minute 24-tonne display opposite Copacabana Beach.
There was little prospect of such fanfare in Venezuela, though, as President Hugo Chavez's declining health cast a shadow over the start of 2013 and prompted cancellation of major celebrations.
In Russia, President Vladimir Putin used a traditional New Year's address to call for unity following a year of protests against his return to the Kremlin for a third term.
In Rome, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated New Year's Eve vespers in St Peter's Basilica, voicing solidarity with the poor and calling on believers to pause to reflect from time to time despite busy lives.
"We have to know how to stop and think. This way our soul can find healing for the inevitable wounds of everyday life," the Pontiff said.
In Spain, revellers who gathered in Madrid's Puerta del Sol square ahead of midnight - cowed by cold, rain and recession - sought to numb the pain of economic crisis with a glass of wine and plenty of cheer.
In Paris, however, there was less cheer as authorities issued a reminder that all fireworks are officially banned for the night.
Earlier in Asia, in regions devastated by Typhoon Bopha which hit the southern Philippines in early December killing more than 1000 people, many survivors said food, work and permanent shelter topped their priorities.
In Manila, authorities had been bracing for the annual rush of injuries as families celebrated with do-it-yourself firework displays and shot celebratory bullets into the air.
Seoul ushered in 2013 with a ritual ringing of the city's 15th-century bronze bell 33 times, reflecting the ancient practice of marking a new year.
Millions visited temples and shrines in Japan for "ninen-mairi" two-year prayers, gathering at family homes to feast on soba noodles and watch the New Year variety show "Kohaku Uta Gassen" or the Red and White Song Contest.
Fireworks also went up in cities across China. And In Taiwan, hundreds of thousands defied chilly winds to pack the square in front of the Taipei City Hall for a concert featuring Taiwanese pop diva A-Mei and Hong Kong-based singer and actor Aaron Kwok.
In Myanmar, an estimated 50,000 flocked to Yangon's revered golden Shwedagon Pagoda for the city's first public New Year countdown and fireworks display, seen as further evidence of opening up after decades of military rule.
"I came here to have fun and leave disappointment behind," said 27-year-old reveller Sithu.
But in India, rocked by the deadly gang-rape of a young medical student, the armed forces cancelled New Year celebrations while many hotels and bars scaled back parties out of respect for the unnamed victim.
