Hello 2017: New Year celebrations around the world – in pictures

Fireworks illuminate the sky above the iconic Opera House in Sydney on December 31, 2016, ahead of the New Year. Saeed Khan / AFP

Palestine artist Yazed Abu Jarad holds a Palestine flag after making a sand sculpture that reads “Welcome 2017” at a beach in the northern Gaza Strip on December 31, 2016. Suhaib Salem / Reuters

A street vendor offers a bunch of colourful balloons for sale on New Year’s Eve in a public garden in Amritsar, India. Raminder Pal Singh / EPA

The SkyTower firework display during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Auckland, New Zealand. The pyrotechnic display included 500kg of fireworks, 1 tonne of equipment and 10 kilometres of wire. Dave Rowland / Getty Images

A woman prays in front of lanterns to celebrate the new year at Chogye Buddhist temple in Seoul, South Korea. Ahn Young-joon / AP Photo

Fireworks explode above Singapore’s financial district at the stroke of midnight to mark the New Year’s celebrations. Wong Maye-E / AP Photo

Fireworks illuminate the city’s skyline during BOCHK Hong Kong New Year countdown celebrations. Lam Yik Fei / Getty Images

A clown performs during a New Year’s celebration for internally displaced children at the Hassan Sham camp, east of Mosul, Iraq. Khalid Mohammed / AP Photo

A young woman writes ‘2017’ using a sparkler during the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Nyiregyhaza, 245km east of Budapest, Hungary. EPA

From India to South Korea, take a look at how nations around the world welcomed 2017.