After a turbulent year marred by terror woes, Ebola outbreaks and a horrific series of airline disasters, many could be forgiven for saying good riddance to 2014 and gratefully ringing in a new year.
Across the globe, revellers looking for a respite from the gloom will converge to welcome 2015. Here's a look at how the world is celebrating:
SYDNEY AND NZ
Sydney takes pride in being one of the first major cities in the world to welcome each new year, and it plans to greet 2015 in its trademark glittery fashion - with a tropical-style fireworks display featuring shimmering gold and silver palm tree pyrotechnic effects.
In New Zealand, a giant clock on Auckland's landmark Sky Tower structure will count down the minutes until the New Year, with a huge fireworks display launching from the tower at midnight. The capital, Wellington, will host a family-friendly celebration in a park, featuring orchestra music and iconic movie clips, culminating in a fireworks display. Midnight in New Zealand is 1100 GMT.
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PRAYERS IN JAKARTA
The loss of AirAsia Flight 8501 and a deadly landslide in Central Java are recent tragedies that have muted celebration plans in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. City Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama told The Jakarta Post newspaper that the city would conduct prayers for the victims of the tragedies as well as host the annual Jakarta Night Festival.
GUN HAPPY PHILIPPINE POLICE WARNED
Acting National Police Chief Leonardo Espina has warned that police in the Philippines who fire their guns during normally raucous celebrations will lose their jobs. Thunderous fireworks and gunfire normally leave communities shrouded in smog and gun smoke, and result in hundreds of injuries every year, including even deaths, some due to stray bullets.
BIDDING WITH THE CHINESE AND BELLS IN JAPAN
Beijing will count down the New Year at an event in the Olympic Park designed to highlight the capital's bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. Skaters will perform and Olympic medallist figure skater Zhao Hongbo, Paralympics gold medallist swimmer Yang Yang and pianist Lang Lang will appear.
At midnight in Japan, temple bells will strike 108 times, the number of evils, or temptations, as defined by Buddhism. There will be fireworks and bonfires around the nation as millions of people flock to neighbourhood temples and shrines to pray for health and happiness.
PARTY CENTRAL AT THE COPACABANA
More than 1 million people are expected to flock to the golden sands of Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach, where two dozen artists and DJs will perform on three stages. Tourists and locals routinely party until dawn on the beach, staying awake to watch the tropical sun rise for the first time in 2015.
A massive fireworks display blasted from boats in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean will light the sky over the crowd, which traditionally dresses in all white, a Brazilian New Year tradition to bring purification and a peaceful year. Another tradition calls for partygoers to enter the sea up to their knees and jump over seven waves shortly after the New Year begins, for luck.
WATCHING THE BALL - OR WHATEVER - DROP
New York will drop its Waterford crystal ball at midnight, in a tradition being increasingly copied across the United States with twists celebrating local icons. Las Cruces, New Mexico, is spicing up New Year's Eve with its first chili drop. In Miami, a 10-metre neon orange will light up, while Atlanta and Nashville, Tennessee, will drop a peach and a musical note, respectively.
Flagstaff, Arizona, celebrates with a 2-metre pine cone that drops from a downtown hotel. Nearby Prescott drops a 2-metre spurred cowboy boot in a nod to its western culture.
