By SARAH WHEATON
Hundreds of thousands of revelers welcomed the new year in New York City’s Times Square, despite the rain, slushy streets and heightened security, capping worldwide celebrations that often emphasized the hopes for a more peaceful tomorrow.
The poor weather and tight security could not dampen the otherwise festive mood in midtown Manhattan, where the cast of the Broadway show “Hair” was among the acts to perform. People wearing oversized 2010 glasses rushed to grab hats proclaiming “Happy New Year” that were tossed into the crowd. But the mood of the times was perhaps best embodied by the famous ball that dropped at midnight in Times Square - which was “more energy efficient than ever before,” organizers boasted, with its 32,256 Philips Luxeon Rebel LEDs and covered in 2,688 Waterford crystals.
The celebration followed spirited festivities elsewhere. In Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, about 2 million people, most of them dressed in traditional white, gathered at Copacabana Beach. In Hyderabad, Pakistan, the street was dotted with little white lights, emanating from candles that peace marchers were holding. In Venice, a high tide that flooded low-lying parts of the city, including St. Mark’s Square, coincided with the midnight celebration.
And in the United States, the attention naturally was focused on Times Square.
"Coming here is a dream that many people have," said Francisca Lopez, 47, a tourist from Mexico, as she waved a noisemaker in the air. She had staked out a coveted spot on Broadway between 46th and 47th streets with her teenage son and daughter. "This is the first year that we’re living it".
In an interview on a live Web cast offered by the Times Square Alliance, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg reflected on the weather.
“Everybody always says that when you have a wedding and it rains, everybody’s going to be happy and have good luck,” Mr. Bloomberg said, standing under a blue umbrella. “This sort of guarantees that 2010 is going to be a great year”.
Gustavo Postal, 23, a Brazilian from Sao Paulo,, was part of the crowd that had spilled up Seventh Avenue to Central Park, huddling under awnings and doorways for shelter from the drizzle.
“I think it’s a great time to be here,” Mr. Postal said. “I think the weather is good. Not too cold. I’d rather it snow”.
About 20 minutes later, he got his wish, as small white flakes began to descend around 10:30 p.m. Many others wishes would descend from the sky at midnight, written on paper, with two tons of confetti at midnight.
The police department estimated that about a million people were gathering at the site. They were joined by thousands of officers, including 250 rookies, dispersed throughout the crowd, including some in plain clothes.
The tight security was evident at 50th Street and Broadway, where an officer kept watch over a damp pile of bookbags, which were prohibited inside the police barricades. Their owners had stuffed the contents of the bags in their pockets and abandoned them.
Elsewhere, celebrations were marred by tradition taken to the extreme. In the Philippines, hundreds of people were injured by gunfire and firecrackers — the result of a belief that loud noise will scare away evil spirits. A quieter ceremony took place at Zojoji, a large Buddhist temple in Tokyo, where worshippers released clear, helium balloons into the night sky.
In Las Vegas, officials closed Las Vegas Boulevard, as well as exits leading to the Strip off Interstate 15, The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported, in preparation for an anticipated 315,000 tourists gathering on the street famous for its ritzy hotels and gambling palaces.
