New Year celebrations get underway to welcome in 2013

Saint Basil’s Cathedral, Red Square was the traditional setting for Moscow’s celebrations as the Russian capital welcomed in the new year.

Firework displays around the world have lighted up the skies enthralling millions of revellers.

Dubai in the United Arab Emirates aimed to break a world record with a display of the highest fireworks. They enveloped the Borj Khalifa Tower in sync with a live performance from the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

In keeping with the grand scale of things, Hong Kong’s display was its biggest and most expensive yet, with thousands turning out to watch.

But while fireworks were the norm Tokyo
reverberated to the sound of the city’s Watch-Night Bell. All over Japan bells are struck 108 times in temples to symbolise the beginning of a prosperous new year.

The simultaneous celebrations followed one of the most impressive – Sydney, Australia was among the first to welcome in 2013. The city used its iconic Harbour Bridge as a backdrop for a staggering 100,000 firework patterns.

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