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New Year revellers in Paris held fireworks and cheered
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From New York to Baghdad to Sydney, New Year's revelers welcomed 2008 with parties, fireworks and hopes for peace and prosperity.
Baghdad witnessed something Iraq had not seen since the 2003 invasion — people publicly partying to welcome in a new year. The ballrooms of several hotels were full of people for New Year's Eve celebrations.
Several European countries rang in the new year in new ways.
The smoke-filled cafe became a thing of memory in France. Cigarettes were prohibited in all indoor locations such as dance clubs, restaurants, hotels, casinos and cafes from Jan 1, 2008.
President Nicolas Sarkozy gave the first traditional New Year's greeting of his presidency, with a "message of hope, faith in life and in the future."
In Russia, Vladimir Putin delivered the last New Year's Eve address of his eight-year presidency, boasting of economic improvements and claiming to have restored a sense of unity among Russians, who are likely to see him stay in power as prime minister after he steps down in a few months.
In Moscow, thousands gathered in Red Square, watching a concert beneath the onion domes of St. Basil's Cathedral, and fireworks above.
Along with the innovations, old traditions were maintained.
More than a million revelers in New York's Times Square cheered at the 100th drop of a giant ball. A century ago the tradition began with a 700-pound ball of wood and iron, lit with 100 25-watt incandescent bulbs. This year's event featured an energy-efficient sphere clad in Waterford crystals, with 9,576 light-emitting diodes that generated a kaleidoscope of colors.
In London, people gathered in Trafalgar Square and along the banks of the River Thames to watch a fireworks display and hear Big Ben welcome the New Year with 12 resounding bongs.
China started its Olympic year with a New Year party including fireworks, singing and dancing put on by the organizer of the Summer Olympics.
In Sydney — one of the first cities to celebrate the New Year — one million revelers cheered as fireworks sprayed from the iconic Harbor Bridge on the New Year's Eve.
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(Agencies)
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從紐約到巴格達(dá)，再到悉尼，世界各地的人們開起了party、燃起了焰火，滿懷著和平與繁榮的希望，迎接2008年的到來。
在伊拉克首都巴格達(dá)，幾家酒店的俱樂部聚滿了慶祝新年的人們，這是自2003年美國(guó)入侵伊拉克以來巴格達(dá)人首次舉行公開聚會(huì)迎接新年。
歐洲的幾個(gè)國(guó)家則以新的方式迎接新年。
在法國(guó)，煙霧繚繞的酒吧已成往事。從今年1月1日起，法國(guó)在舞廳俱樂部、餐館、酒店、賭場(chǎng)和咖啡廳等所有室內(nèi)場(chǎng)所實(shí)行禁煙。
法國(guó)總統(tǒng)尼古拉斯?薩科奇發(fā)表了就任總統(tǒng)以來的首次新年致辭，表達(dá)了“對(duì)生活與未來的希望與信念”。總統(tǒng)向全國(guó)民眾致以新年問候是法國(guó)的一大傳統(tǒng)。
俄羅斯總統(tǒng)普京則是最后一次以總統(tǒng)的身份向全國(guó)發(fā)表新年祝詞。普京執(zhí)政八年以來，俄羅斯的經(jīng)濟(jì)狀況明顯改善，民眾團(tuán)結(jié)得以恢復(fù)。普京將于幾個(gè)月后卸任總統(tǒng)一職，并可能出任下屆國(guó)家總理。
在俄羅斯首都莫斯科，數(shù)千人聚集在紅場(chǎng)，觀看在圣華西里大教堂的洋蔥式圓頂下舉行的新年演唱會(huì)，還欣賞了教堂上空的焰火表演。
除了這些新鮮的慶祝方式外，一些舊傳統(tǒng)也被沿襲。
在紐約時(shí)代廣場(chǎng)，一百多萬新年狂歡者為水晶球降落儀式舉行一百周年而歡呼喝彩。該傳統(tǒng)始于一世紀(jì)前，當(dāng)時(shí)的大球由木頭和鐵打造而成，重達(dá)700磅，裝有100個(gè)25瓦的白熾燈泡。而今年的水晶球則采用了節(jié)能技術(shù)，球體外表覆蓋著一層沃特福德水晶，內(nèi)置9576個(gè)發(fā)光二極管，發(fā)出五彩的光芒。
在英國(guó)倫敦，人們聚集在特拉法爾加廣場(chǎng)和泰晤士河畔觀看焰火表演，聆聽“大本鐘”敲響新年鐘聲，“大本鐘”那12下渾厚的鐘聲回蕩在夜空。
在中國(guó)，2008年夏季奧運(yùn)會(huì)主辦城市北京舉辦了喜迎“奧運(yùn)年”的大型主題活動(dòng)，其中包括焰火表演和歌舞類節(jié)目。
悉尼是最早迎來新年的城市之一。新年前夜，悉尼的標(biāo)志性建筑海港大橋上空綻放出美麗的煙花，100多萬狂歡者歡呼躍雀。
（英語點(diǎn)津姍姍編輯）
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