2001 Arrives Around The World

L O N D O N, Dec. 31, 2000 -- Much of the world welcomed 2001 with fireworks,good cheer and optimism, and even in troubled lands the hope of abetter future prevailed.

Yugoslavia’s celebrations, the first since the ouster ofSlobodan Milosevic, were dubbed “the first free New Year,” templebells tolled in Japan and tens of thousands gathered for a carnivalin Hong Kong.

Dance of Defiance

In Argentina, police blocked off Corrientes Avenue in BuenosAires to create space for a New Year’s Eve tango-fest.

“What worries? I am just here to dance! Tango is one of thegreat wonders of Argentina,” said Alberto Pajesz.

Pakistan’s militant Muslims warned against celebrations anddeployed extra soldiers to make sure no dancing took place, andauthorities in Lebanon and Syria warned celebrants to leave theirguns at home.

“Gunfire is an uncivilized phenomenon,” said Al-Baath, thenewspaper of Syria’s ruling party. “Some people think that gunfireand fireworks reflect happiness. … They are very dangerous.”

Lebanese authorities banned firing into the air after thenation’s civil war ended in 1990. However, shooting remains a NewYear’s Eve tradition.

Drummers Drumming; Jumpers Jumping

In Paris, a thousand drummers from all over Europe wererecruited to beat the countdown to midnight in unison at theGeorges Pompidou Center.

Fifteen parachutists from the United States, Europe and Asialeaped from the old millennium to the new as midnight chimedtoday, using the world’s tallest skyscrapers as a launch pad.

“What a great New Year!” cried an exuberant Ed Trick, 38, acarpenter from Petaluma, Calif., one of the nine Americans whojoined in the dive from Malaysia’s Petronas Twin towers, each 1,483feet tall.

The jump started at 15 seconds before midnight, so that whenthey landed time had moved forward to a new millennium — at leastin the view of those who insist that 2000 was the last year of thesecond millennium A.D.

The jumpers — claiming a world record for most people in onebase jump — were helped by perfect weather, shouts of “Happy NewYear!” and strains of “Auld Lang Syne” from more than 100,000spectators below.

Omar Alhegelan, 34, who runs a parachute school in Eloy, Ariz.,said jumping was the “ultimate expression of freedom.”

“As a Muslim, as someone from Saudi Arabia, I dedicate thisjump to the children of Palestine and Israel, and I hope that theyenjoy the same kind of freedom,” Alhegelan said.

‘A Year of Difficult Decisions’

Russians marked the holiday with gift-giving and decoratinghomes with images of the Santa Claus-like Dyed Moroz [GrandfatherFrost] and his sidekick Snegurochka [Snow Maiden]. Christmas, anofficial holiday since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, iscelebrated on Jan. 7 on the Orthodox calendar.

“We are leaving behind another year, a year of happy and tragicevents, a year of difficult decisions,” Russian President VladimirPutin, marking the end of his first year in power, said in astatement delivered to each of Russia’s regions.

“But things which looked impossible a short time ago arebecoming facts of our life. Distinct elements of stability appearedin our country, and that is valuable for politics, for economicsand for every one of us,” Putin said.

Sobriety Enforced in Bangladesh

Hundreds of police patrolled the capital of Bangladesh, intenton enforcing a quiet, sober holiday. Many clubs organize New Year’sparties and young revelers go into the streets with their drinks,which is illegal.

“Stern action will be taken against those who create publicnuisance, blast firecrackers and block traffic to celebrate the newyear,” the Dhaka Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

Cold, rainy weather canceled fireworks celebrations inLiverpool, England, and Londonderry in Northern Ireland.

In London, the Millennium Dome had a rare full house for a danceparty before closing for good, ending a year of controversy overthe expense of building the world’s largest enclosed space and itsinability to attract enough customers to pay its own way.

Year of the Snake

In Japan, as the Year of the Dragon gave way to the Year of theSnake at midnight, temple bells sounded 108 times,symbolically driving out the 108 sins in the Buddhist catalogue.

Many people began the customary visits to shrines and templesthat will take place over the next few days.

“The Japanese will refresh their minds with these visits,”said Tsutomu Kurita, an official at Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine.

Taiwan marked New Year’s Day by lifting a 51-year-old ban onvoyages from tiny Taiwanese-controlled islets near the Chinesecoast to the mainland. Supporters look on the first legal voyageMonday — along a route taken by smugglers for years — as a steptoward easing tensions with the rival Beijing government.

People partied throughout Hong Kong to greet the new year, somegathering in Victoria Park for a government-organized carnival,which included a live concert by over 20 local pop stars.