PHOTOS: The world says goodbye to an unsettling 2018
12/31/18, 17:08
Fireworks explode over the Sydney Harbour during New Year's Eve celebrations in Sydney, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. (Brendan Esposito/AAP via AP)
Sheets of fiery color sizzle in the sky over the Sydney Opera House. Showers of confetti offer a softer alternative to revelry in the Philippines, noted for its raucous, even violent, celebrations. Thais lie in coffins in a ritual symbolizing death and rebirth. A new mother, still wearing her hospital cap, cradles her infant.
These are the faces of the new year , captured across the globe as we bid farewell to what many considered an unsettling 2018, a year filled with challenges to many of the world’s most basic institutions, including politics, trade, alliances and religion.
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Fireworks explode over the Victoria Harbor during New Year’s Eve to celebrate the start of year 2019 in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Jan. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)Spectators watch as fireworks explode in front of Malaysia’s landmark building, the Petronas Twin Towers, during the New Year’s celebration in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, Jan. (AP Photo/Yam G-Jun)A reveler prepares to countdown to the new year in Beijing, China, Monday, Dec. 31, 2018. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)Confetti rains down on revelers at the Eastwood Shopping Mall as Filipinos welcome the New Year Tuesday, Jan. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)Worshippers pray as they take turns lying in coffins during a ceremony at the Takien temple in suburban Bangkok, Thailand Monday, Dec. (AP Photo/Sakchai lalit)People participate in the annual New Year’s swim in harbor of Copenhagen on Monday, Dec. 31, 2018. (Bax Lindhardt/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)Leni Bonto cuddles her baby Zairah inside the recovery room after being born on New Year’s day Tuesday, Jan. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)Pakistani Christians attend a midnight service at Sacred Heart Cathedral, ending of the year 2018 in Lahore, Pakistan, Monday, Dec. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)A couple takes a selfie photo during the last sunset of the year in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Monday, Dec. 31, 2018. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)