First country to celebrate new year

The first country to celebrate New Year's Day is generally considered to be Samoa, which is located in the Pacific Ocean. Samoa is 21 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which means that when it's December 31st in Samoa, it's still December 30th in most of the world.

In Samoa, New Year's Day is celebrated on January 1st, but the country also observes an additional day, known as "Leap Day," which is celebrated on December 31st. This is because Samoa is one of the few countries in the world that does not observe daylight saving time.

The tradition of celebrating New Year's Day in Samoa dates back to the early 20th century, when the country was a German colony. The Germans introduced the tradition of celebrating New Year's Day, and it has been observed ever since.

Other countries that celebrate New Year's Day on January 1st, but are ahead of UTC, include:

It's worth noting that some countries, such as China and Japan, celebrate the Lunar New Year, which is also known as the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year. This holiday is celebrated on a different date each year, based on the lunar calendar.