Welcome To 2010!
Posted January 1, 2010 12:06 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The countdown lasted mere seconds, but bleary-eyed Torontonians partied well into the morning at clubs and banquet halls across the city.
Welcome to a new year – and the start of a new decade.
Whether you spent your evening downtown with Citytv at Nathan Phillips Square, out with friends, home with family or nestled into your pajamas, it was time to say goodbye to 2009 and welcome to 2010.
We ended the year with warmer than normal temperatures – zero degrees and a light drizzle – and we woke up on January 1 with more of the same.
The forecast called for the mercury to reach a high of 1C but that will change – and fast – by Saturday.
For the weekend, the temperatures will plummet and we’ll see lows around -12C until Tuesday.
The year that was came in with an economic recession and continued with H1N1 woes, a garbage strike and summer storms.
Tamil protesters shut down the Gardiner Expressway, the arrest of Michael Bryant topped local headlines and the case of Suaad Hagi Mohamud, a Toronto woman detained in Kenya, made international news.
The Leafs are still losing, and unfortunately, that’s likely to continue in 2010.
But some things are bound to change: surveys from both CareerBuilder.ca and Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters predict an increase in job security for Canadian workers, welcome news for those who lost their jobs in the past 12 months.
It’s not all good news for your wallet: The HST is coming to Ontario and TTC fares are also going up.
Toronto will elect a new mayor next year and barring any calamity on Parliament Hill, it’s likely the only time we’ll head to the polls.
New legislation aimed at making the roads safer means you won’t be able to use a cell phone – or any handheld device – while you’re behind the wheel anywhere in the province.
That is what’s ahead, and here’s what was: check out the list below to find out how countries around the world rang in the new year. And tell us how you celebrated in the comments.
The celebrations began in the Republic of Kiribati. This tiny island nation – its population is just over 100,000 – is located in the Pacific Ocean, and the site of the first official party. http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/oceania/ki.htm
Just a few kilometers away, Sydney, Australia is the first major city to ring in the New Year and from Down Under, the parties took off.
At midnight in Japan, temples rang their bells 108 times – representing the 108 evils being struck out – as worshippers threw coins as offerings and prayed.
Others climbed Mount Fuji to witness the first sunrise of the New Year from high above.
In Tokyo, volunteers stirred huge pots of New Year’s rice-cake soup and doled out blankets and clothing to the needy.
Celebrations were muted in China, where fireworks and feasting are reserved mainly for the Lunar New Year, which in 2010 begins on February 14.
New Year’s Eve parties were marked by balloons and firecrackers in Iraq , and similar celebrations took place in India. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8436493.stm
Londoners flocked to Big Ben to watch the iconic clock chime down and of course, the ball dropped as planned in Times Square.
With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
