The PARTY IS ON! How the WORLD welcomed 2014

People across the globe welcomed 2014 with celebrations of optimism.

We present some fun-filled photographs, as we wish you a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Opening photograph: Fireworks explode over Sydney Harbour at midnight, ushering in the New Year, in Sydney.

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A reveler writes "2014" with sparklers ahead of New Year's Eve, in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

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Dancers from Romania's northeastern region of Moldova perform the "bear" dance, a ritual for good luck in the New Year.

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People take part in a torchlight procession as it makes its way through Edinburgh for the start of the Hogmanay celebrations on in Edinburgh, Scotland. Around 80,000 people are expected in the city for the traditional New Year celebrations, which run over three days.

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Students stand to form "Happy 2014" to welcome the upcoming New Year at a middle school in Ma'anshan, Anhui province, China.

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The ball that dropped at midnight is pictured ahead of New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square, New York.

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A worker takes a break while arranging "wishing spheres" along Marina Bay in Singapore.

People penned their wishes for the new year onto the spheres before placing them into the river.

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People carry a 20 x 20 feet long kite, with an image of BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi, through a street to welcome 2014 in Ahmedabad.

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Balloons, in the form of the Brazilian national flag, are released into the skies above Sao Paulo downtown during year end celebrations