17 Unusual Ways People Around The World Celebrate The New Year

REUTERS/Guillermo Granja In Ecuador, people burn effigies of their enemies at midnight.

Happy New Year's Eve! Many of us will be celebrating with champagne, dancing, and kissing loved ones when the clock strikes midnight.

But what about the rest of the world?

January 1st may be the de facto beginning of the New Year in the Western hemisphere thanks to the Gregorian calendar, but some cultures believe the New Year takes place at a different time altogether.

The Chinese New Year is in late January or early February. Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year - is in autumn, and some cultures follow the Julian lunar calendar and celebrate in mid-January.

How people start off a brand new year varies regionally from country to country - though most do tend to have the standard fireworks display.