How the New Year is celebrated in some of the remotest parts of the world

The subsequent adoption of the Gregorian calendar in some of the world’s remotest parts has to do with the vast spread of colonisation, particularly in the 1800s, through colonial powers that took their administrative policies, culture and religion along with them. That explains why places like North Korea, the Russian Far East, etc. follow the Gregorian calendar, along with their traditional lunar calendars. We look at four such places:

1. 01

   Tristan da Cunha

   One of the remotest inhabited places on Earth, Tristan da Cunha lies in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, with some 250 permanent residents, all of whom have British Overseas Territories citizenship. The only way to reach Tristan da Cunha is by ship from South Africa, a journey that can take up to a week, depending on the weather and the waters of the Atlantic.

   In Tristan da Cunha, December 31 is called Old Year's Day and is marked by unique traditions. According to a 2011 paper by Peter Millington, a retired research fellow at the University of Sheffield, “On Old Year’s Night, the young men of the island of Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic disguise themselves and go from house to house, making a lot of noise and trying to scare people. The householders try to guess who their visitors are, and supply them with refreshments.”

   Millington writes that the “participants are known by a variety of names, including the unique 'Okalolies'. This name is of uncertain, but possibly Gaelic origin. The custom, however, includes elements of similar customs from all the countries from which the settlers came.” Millington writes that in recent years, the celebrations have culminated at a reception held by the island’s British Administrator, similar to a governor, at the official Residency in Tristan da Cunha, involving food, drink and music.

2. 02

   Easter Island

   Hanga Roa is the main town of Easter Island, a municipality of Chile, located in the Pacific Ocean. Post the 1860s, when Peruvian mainlanders began arriving from the mainland to colonise the island, it began a steady destruction of its indigenous society through epidemics and diseases that they were unaccustomed to and unprepared to handle. They also brought missionaries with them, and by 1868 almost the entire Rapa Nui population had become Roman Catholic, writes Steven R Fischer in his book ‘Island at the End of the World: The Turbulent History of Easter Island’.

   According to the World Population Review, the population of Easter Island is approximately 8,600. According to travel bloggers who have visited the island on New Year’s Eve, fireworks close to the town square in Hanga Roa have always been a part of the New Year’s Eve celebration, with little else. Until recently, it was difficult to find restaurants open at midnight but with the increase in tourism, particularly in December and January, this has changed.

3. 03

   North Korea

   Before the colonisation of the Korean Peninsula (1910-1945) by the Japanese Empire, in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), the Korean lunar calendar was used. It was only in 1895 that the Gregorian calendar was adopted. After the signing of the armistice during the Korean War (1950-1953), the trajectory of North Korea and South Korea as post-war societies has been completely different. While the South was developed and built with Western aid, particularly American economic and military support, the North received aid from China and Russia.

   While New Year’s Eve celebrations in South Korea today are similar to other modern cities globally, in North Korea they differ slightly. Although not remote, North Korea is largely closed off to the rest of the world.

   Public commemorations in the form of fireworks have become a part of December 31 celebrations. According to Koryo Tours, which specialises in organising visits to North Korea, on New Year's Eve, citizens in the capital Pyongyang gather at the Kim Il Sung Square.

   The public, government-controlled celebrations differ every year in some ways. In “2019 the famous Moranbong Band (a girl group) played in the centre of Kim Il Sung Square. There was a concert in the square and a firework display across the river at the Juche Tower, which included laser beam displays and lighted drones in the sky,” says Koryo Tours on their website. The next day, on January 1, sees an address by Kim Jong Un, the Supreme Leader of the DPRK, that is televised across the country and printed in newspapers. The Korean New Year or Seollal will fall on January 25 in 2025, and is always a more traditional commemoration, involving paying respect to elders and offerings to ancestors and visiting family.

4. 04

   Yakutia

   In the Russian Far East, Yakutia or Sakha is the largest administrative division in the country, and among the largest in the world, located 450 km away from the Arctic Circle. While a significant part of its population lives in Yakutsk, the biggest city, many are also spread across rural areas. Yakutsk is also considered the world’s coldest city, recording temperatures as low as −35 °C. The temperatures drop even further in rural areas. Kiun B, a blogger from Yakutia who documents her everyday life on YouTube, has talked about celebrating two New Years – one during the Summer Solstice in June and the other on December 31.

   Celebrating festivals like Christmas and New Year during the peak of winter makes elaborate celebrations challenging. Some indigenous communities across the Russian Arctic, like the Chukchi, mark the New Year on the winter solstice – the night of 21 to 22 December. According to a post on the government’s Arctic Russia website, the Chukchi festival of Pegytti is named after the Altair star of the Aquila constellation. As soon as it is observed in the sky, New Year's Eve is celebrated by lighting a fire, with songs and dances for the new year.