# Where Does the New Year Begin? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 1, 2003, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-new-year-begin/145969 "2003-01-01T00:15:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-new-year-begin/145969/1 "2003-01-01T00:15:01Z")
There is something I have wondered ever since the millenia celebration. When–using Eastern Standard Time (_i.e., New York time_)–does the new year first begin in the world? And specifically _where_ does it begin? Are there any special festivities in the time zone it begins? Or is it like any other time zone? Just wondering… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![andy\_fl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@andy\_fl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andy_fl)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-new-year-begin/145969/2 "2003-01-01T01:25:41Z")
Kiribati - Christmas Islands. Read how New Year “arrives” in different places [here](http://www.timeanddate.com/counters/firstnewyear.html) . Also [Caroline Island](http://starbulletin.com/98/01/01/news/story5.html) was setup for the Millenium for the first dawn. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-new-year-begin/145969/3 "2003-01-01T03:08:07Z")
Since NY is UT-5hrs the New year starts 17hrs earlier than in NY at the first time zone . ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-new-year-begin/145969/4 "2003-01-01T03:22:02Z")
And the winning location would be Greenwich, England. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-new-year-begin/145969/5 "2003-01-01T03:25:25Z")
Remember New Year’s 2000? Remember the ceremony at remote “Millennium Island”, with the outrigger boats bringing in the sacred torch from the sea? And the old man passes the torch to the little boy, telling him to take it to the rest of the world? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-new-year-begin/145969/6 "2003-01-01T03:28:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sam Stone \* > \*\*And the winning location would be Greenwich, England. \*\* Not really. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-new-year-begin/145969/7 "2003-01-01T05:55:37Z")
Why not? UTC is universal time. Why not Greenwich? Is there a better candidate? ---
**Author:** ![Mikahw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Mikahw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikahw)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-new-year-begin/145969/8 "2003-01-01T06:00:37Z")
Does the international date line have something to do with it? Greenwich is on the other side of the globe from it. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-new-year-begin/145969/9 "2003-01-01T06:12:16Z")
**Mikahw** is correct. The first place in the world to see Jan. 1, 2003, would be at the international date line, 180 degrees longitude, not at Greenwich, which is at 0 degrees. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-new-year-begin/145969/10 "2003-01-01T06:31:34Z")
Sorry, I misinterpreted the question. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-new-year-begin/145969/11 "2003-01-01T16:54:01Z")
**Early Out** , Kiribati has (arbitrarily) pushed the International Date Line way, way, to the east. They stretched it all the way over to Millennium Island (renamed for the occasion). The eastern border of Kiribati is about 147 degrees west longitude (approximately the longitude of Fairbanks, Alaska), so now the International Date Line has this huge jog in it sticking way out for thousands of miles away east from 180 degrees. That’s how Kiribati was able to claim they got the millennium first. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-new-year-begin/145969/12 "2003-01-01T17:16:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jomo Mojo \* > \*\*Kiribati has (arbitrarily) pushed the International Date Line way, way, to the east. \*\* I’d forgotten about the big jog in the line. With a little effort, we should be able to push the international date line to oh, say, Kansas!