New Year's Eve 2024-2025 in Kiribati

Thanks to the unique location next to the international date line, the Republic of Kiribati sees the sunrise first every day. Likewise, this island nation in the Central Pacific is the first in the world to ring in the New Year. So if you visit one of its 32 atolls for New Year's Eve, you will have a special one-of-a-kind celebration.

New Year's Celebration in Kiritimati

The largest island of Kiribati, Kiritimati, or Christmas Island, is likely to hold the most colorful New Year's festivities. These typically run at hotels and traditional meeting houses, called maneaba, scattered across the island. These gatherings are known as botaki and typically involve locals coming together to celebrate any kind of holiday or occasion with traditional dancing and other festive attractions.

Kiribati New Year's Traditions

Feasting is an integral part of every local festival. On the end-of-the-year occasion, Kiribati people have a menu containing roast pig and crayfish, as well as other traditional foods, such as taro, banana galore, and, of course, coconuts. Also, the most common beverage is coconut sap, collected from coconut flowers and consumed with water, tea, or alcohol.

First Sunrise in Kiribati

The island country is also the first to witness sunrise, with the Kiritimati island hosting a special celebration to mark the event. The celebration involves traditional dancing, signing, and music. Performers usually wear intricate head attire that resemble floral wreaths, and local officials tend to give a ceremonial speech to announce the first sunrise of the year. The scenery is truly breathtaking, with the ocean waters swaying near the shore under the first rays of the New Year's sunshine.

Climate Change Impact on Kiribati

The not-so-bright side of living in Kiribati is that these islands are threatened to disappear due to global warming and rising sea water levels. To avoid storm surges prone to flooding homes, lots of people reside in stilt houses well above the water. Some atolls have already descended below the water and the so-called global warming refugees fled to nearby Fiji or New Zealand.