Best photos of December 31: End of year celebrations and rituals from around the world

The National picks the most striking images from around the world

Visitors bathe in incense smoke as part of a cleansing ritual at Sensoji Temple on New Year's Eve in Tokyo. AP

The New Year's Eve ball is lit during a test on top of One Times Square in New York. EPA

People gather at the Sydney Harbour House for the New Year's Eve fireworks display. Getty Images

A person displays a bag with local citrus fruit at a market in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. EPA

An 'Ano Viejo' effigy, representing Honduran President Xiomara Castro, in the village of Germania, south of Tegucigalpa. EPA

Pyrotechnic technicians make the final preparations for a fireworks display on a pontoon on the River Maas in Rotterdam. AFP

Ethnic Karen men climb a greased pole during the Karen New Year's celebration in Yangon, Myanmar. EPA

Two men dressed as Brodacze (bearded men) in Slawatycze, Podlasie region in eastern Poland. AFP

A Nepalese indigenous person from the Gurung community performs during the 'Tamu Lhosar' new year fair in Kathmandu, Nepal. EPA

A serpent-shaped light installation in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu province, marks the coming Lunar New Year of the Snake, which falls on January 29. AFP

Miao people attend a New Year celebration during the Lu Sheng festival in Congjiang county, Guizhou. AFP