Every year, millions of Australians across the country ring in the new year with a spectacular fireworks display.
At the stroke of midnight, a colourful pyrotechnic show explodes under the night sky to mark the end of the year and the beginning of a new one.
But where does this tradition come from?
Take me there now:
The origins of fireworks
The fireworks that we see today didn’t always look as elaborate.
According to some historians, fireworks date back to China’s Han dynasty (202 BC—220 AD), when people threw bamboo stems into a fire to produce an explosion.
But there’s debate about when it started.
Other historians attribute the origins to China’s Song dynasty (960-1279 AD) where people manufactured firecrackers using tubes made from rolled sheets of paper containing gunpowder and a fuse.
In ancient China, exploding bamboo sticks and paper rolls filled with gunpowder were used to mark a new year. (Supplied: American Pyrotechnics Association )
They also strung these firecrackers together into large clusters and set them off.
During these times, fireworks accompanied many festivities, including weddings, births, and other celebrations to ward off evil spirits.
By the 14th century, fireworks had come to Europe, and gained popularity in the region by the 17th century.
Fireworks spread to Europe by the 15th century, and developed even further by the 19th century. (Supplied: American Pyrotechnics Association )
They were made widely available in the 1830s.
During the Italian Renaissance (1340-1550) fireworks became popularised by fire masters — people in charge of firework experiments and displays.
This is about the time different coloured fireworks were also developed.
Pyrotechnic schools opened to teach younger generations how to master this exciting new craft.
In the United States, early settlers brought their love of fireworks to the New World and fireworks were part of the very first Independence Day — a tradition that continues every July 4 in the US.
Why is New Year’s Eve celebrated with fireworks?
Many traditions have emerged for New Year’s Eve celebrations over the years, including watching the ball drop at Times Square in New York. (AP Photo: Yuki Iwamura)
While there isn’t a straightforward answer, some historians believe fireworks made a progression from being used for festivities to becoming a staple during New Year’s Eve celebrations.
This was likely due to the universal human desire to mark significant moments with grandeur.
The sensory display of celebration marks the end of the year with a sense of awe and amazement, and a new beginning with excitement and entertainment, making them a popular choice to mark the event.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the Romans derived the name for January from their god Janus, who had two faces, one looking backward and the other forward.
Experts believe this could also be one of the reasons the tradition of practising a New Year’s resolution caught on.
Since then, many traditions have emerged, from celebrating with champagne and food to receiving a New Year’s kiss.
When did New Year’s Eve fireworks start in Australia?
The Sydney Harbour Bridge has long been a place for spectators to marvel at pyrotechnic displays. (AAP: Dean Lewins)
The first official Australian fireworks display was the Sydney fireworks display in 1976.
The Festival of Sydney launched New Year’s Eve with a fireworks display at midnight, music, and a decorated craft sail-past.
By 1986 the Sydney Harbour Bridge was used for the first time, featuring the iconic “golden waterfall” fireworks effect.
In 2019, projection and mapping synchronisations were used for the first time on New Year’s Eve.
Today, Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks display is one of the world’s largest and most technologically advanced.
What countries don’t celebrate New Year’s Eve?
In most parts of the world, fireworks displays are used to celebrate New Year’s Eve on December 31, marking January 1 as the first day of the new year.
Most of the world runs on the Gregorian calendar with 365 days, or 12 months, in a year.
But some countries don’t celebrate the new year on this day. Other cultures follow lunar, solar, and other hybrid calendars to tell time.
But not everybody marks the new year in the same way or at the same time.
Lunar New Year celebrations last for 15 days and end when the full Moon appears. (Reuters: Athit Perawongmetha)
Luna new year
- Luna New Year is an annual 15-day festival that begins with the new Moon, commonly celebrated in China and among the Chinese diaspora and in South-East Asia.
- Festivities last until the following full Moon, including cleaning the home to rid it of lingering bad luck, and enjoying special foods on certain days during the celebrations.
Hindu new year
- The Hindu new year has different names in different places where it is celebrated. Those in Bali and Indonesia mark the occasion with huge monsters.
- Last year the celebration was on March 22.
Islamic new year
- Islamic countries around the world celebrate the start of the Islamic new year, also known as Hijrī new year.
- It is marked with recitation of the Quran, prayer, and a reflection on the year that has passed.
- It falls in Muḥarram, the first month in the Islamic calendar. Muslim countries use the Gregorian calendars on a day-to-day basis, but the Hijrī is followed to determine religious occasions.
Julian calendar
- The Julian calendar is followed by those of the Orthodox faith, which determines Orthodox Easter and Christmas celebrations.
- Serbia is one of the countries that still recognises some of the events on the Julian calendar. Orthodox new year falls on January 14.
Jewish new year
- Rosh Hashanah, or Jewish new year is typically celebrated around September or October. It is observed on the first day of the seventh Jewish month of Tishrei.
- It is customary to blow the shofar, which is a horn from any kosher animal such as a sheep, goat, antelope, or ram.
