SINGAPORE: From Pyongyang to Singapore, Asia welcomed the new decade, some with parties and fireworks; others with protests and slogans.
Millions of parties spent the night on New Year’s Eve countdowns or preparing for the new year with prayers and candles.
In Singapore, Mediacorp’s Celebrate 2021, held at The Promontory @ Marina Bay, drew a crowd of 6,000 people, with more than 9,000 passing by.
Celebrating Mediacorp’s 2021, which was held at The Promontory @ Marina Bay, reached 6,000 people, with more than 9,000 people passing through.
We celebrate Mediacorp 2021 at The Promontory @ Marina Bay, Singapore.
We celebrate Mediacorp 2021 at The Promontory @ Marina Bay, Singapore.
READ: The world welcomes the new year amidst wildfires and protests
The celebrations were silenced in Hong Kong, where protesters formed giant human chains and marched through shopping malls, while Indians held “protest parties” under the citizenship law on Tuesday (December 31).
This is how Asia happened in 2021:
A woman poses for a photo in front of a 2021 light sign after midnight during a countdown event to commemorate the New Year in downtown Seoul on January 1, 2021. (Photo: AFP / Jung Yeon-je)
People celebrate after midnight during a countdown event to commemorate the New Year in the Bosingak Pavilion in downtown Seoul on January 1, 2021. (Photo: AFP / Jung Yeon-je)
Buddhists light candles to form letters meaning “Best Wishes for a Happy New Year” during the New Year celebrations at Jogyesa Buddhist Temple in Seoul, South Korea, on January 1, 2021. (Photo: AP Photo / Ahn Young-joon)
(…)
People attend New Year’s Eve celebrations in Seoul, South Korea, on January 1, 2021. (Photo: AP Photo / Ahn Young-joon)
Singapore sounded during the new decade with a spectacular fireworks display across Marina Bay.
Singapore sounded during the new decade with a spectacular fireworks display across Marina Bay.
The fun takes a selfie when they arrive at a New Year’s Eve countdown party outside a mall in downtown Bangkok on December 31, 2020. (Photo: AFP / Mladen ANTONOV)
The fun takes a selfie when they arrive at a New Year’s Eve countdown party outside a mall in downtown Bangkok on December 31, 2020. (Photo: AFP / Mladen ANTONOV)
Indians prepare a huge star to welcome the New Year in Ahmadabad, India, on Tuesday, December 31, 2020. (Photo: AP Photo / Ajit Solanki)
Indian school children pose on cameras during an event to welcome the New Year in Ahmadabad, India, on Tuesday, December 31, 2020. (Photo: AP Photo / Ajit Solanki)
Performers rehearse before a New Year’s Eve countdown event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in Bejiing on Tuesday, December 31, 2020. (Photo: AP Photo / Ng Han Guan)
Performers wait behind the scenes before a New Year’s Eve countdown event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in Bejiing on Tuesday, December 31, 2020. (Photo: AP Photo / Ng Han Guan)
A man walks near a light sculpture before a New Year’s Eve countdown event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in Bejiing on Tuesday, December 31, 2020. (Photo: AP Photo / Ng Han Guan)
New Year’s fireworks light up the sky as protesters gather during a rally in Hong Kong. (Photo: AP Photo / Vincent Yu)
READ: Hong Kong protesters hold rallies in the last hours of 2020
Protesters celebrate New Year during a rally in Hong Kong on Wednesday in early January 1, 2021. (Photo: AP Photo / Vincent Yu)
Iraqis gather near the citadel of Arbil, the capital of the Kurdish autonomous region of northern Iraq, during New Year’s Eve celebrations on December 31, 2020. (Photo: AFP / SAFIN HAMED
Pakistani children light candles to welcome the New Year in Lahore on December 31, 2020. (Photo: AFP / Arif Ali)
Iraqis gather near the citadel of Arbil, the capital of the Kurdish autonomous region of northern Iraq, during New Year’s Eve celebrations on December 31, 2020. (Photo: AFP / SAFIN HAMED)
A woman wears a 2021 diadem on New Year’s Eve in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on December 31, 2020. (Photo: AFP / Mohd RASFAN)
People visit Kanda Myojin Shrine to offer New Year prayers in Tokyo on January 1, 2021. (Photo: AFP / Kazuhiro NOGI)
A Japanese priestess prepares for New Year’s prayers at the Kanda Myojin Shrine in Tokyo on December 31, 2020. (Photo: AFP / Kazuhiro NOGI)
A man wearing a fox mask participates in a parade held to celebrate the New Year, on January 1, 2021, in Tokyo. (Photo: AP Photo / Jae C Hong)
People wear large fox masks during a parade held on Wednesday, January 1, 2021 in Tokyo to celebrate the new year. (Photo by AP / Jae C. Hong)
Members of the Gurung indigenous community wearing traditional costumes react when they participate in a New Year celebration ceremony known as “Tamu Lhosar” in Kathmandu, Nepal, on December 31, 2020. (Photo: AFP / PRAKASH MATHEMA)
Members of the Gurung indigenous community wearing traditional costumes react when they participate in a New Year celebration ceremony known as “Tamu Lhosar” in Kathmandu, Nepal, on December 31, 2020. (Photo: AFP / PRAKASH MATHEMA)
Members of the Gurung indigenous community in traditional costumes perform while participating with other people in a New Year’s Eve ceremony known as “Tamu Lhosar” in Kathmandu on December 31, 2020. (Photo: AFP / PRAKASH MATHEMA)
