PRIME TIME
Jan. 1, 2000, doesn't officially begin at Greenwich, but don't tell that to anyone in Britain. The London borough, home to the Royal Observatory and located right smack on the 0[degree] meridian, will mark the stroke of midnight, Greenwich mean time, by shooting a green laser beam into the sky and bouncing a satellite signal around the world that will set off international celebrations.
After that, it's time to get down and party! Along the riverbanks upstream from Greenwich to central London about six miles to the west, festivals and street parties will run well past dawn, with cruisers and river buses shuttling revelers between events. At the newly completed Millennium Dome, claimed to be the world's largest domed building (though it resembles a flying saucer with spikes), the evening extravaganza promises to surpass even the elaborate opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Tickets will be hard to come by, but 10,000 have been set aside for VIPs and distribution to the public.
In Scotland, the Hogmanay Party--named for the Scottish New Year's Eve--will be launched with a torchlight procession through Edinburgh, culminating atop Carlton Hill with a huge bonfire. The city center will then be transformed into one blazing outdoor party for some 200,000 hardy celebrators. Nightly festivities will continue throughout the week. While much of the entertainment is free, tickets are required for such events as the rock concert in Princes Street Gardens, which will have a floodlighted Edinburgh Castle as its backdrop. Though the Scottish city can be cold in late December, wool sweaters, drams of single-malt whisky and drafts of Guinness will no doubt ward off the chill.
WHITE-HOT NIGHTS
On New Year's Eve, Brazilians pay homage to Iemanja, the African queen of the sea. Millions of revelers clad entirely in white, a symbol of purity in Afro-Brazilian culture, throng the beaches of Rio de Janeiro to placate Iemanja and court good luck by lighting candles and tossing flowers, cosmetics and other gifts into the ocean for the vain goddess.
For December 1999, many Rio hotels are offering relatively affordable rates, but prices at some are steep. A five-night stay for two ranges anywhere from $2,750 to $11,000. While the pricey oceanfront hotels on Copacabana Beach offer the best views of the festivities and dazzling fireworks, any place in the city provides respite from the wintry blasts of North America.
To the north of Rio, the city of Salvador da Bahia, which will be celebrating its 450th birthday, promises to have the country's most sizzling street party. For the Bom Jesus dos Navegantes celebration, which honors sailors, thousands of boats with banners aflutter will fill the harbor. Along the ancient cobblestone avenues and more modern thoroughfares, trios eletricos, samba-reggae bands on trucks with eardrum-shattering loudspeakers, will play. Barefoot, bare-chested youths in white cotton trousers will perform the traditional capoeira, a carefully choreographed martial art dating back to slavery that combines somersaults and kickboxing and prohibits contact with one's opponent. To showcase this feast of the senses, several major luxury chains--including the Meridien, Othon and Tropical groups--are offering packages for their hotels in Salvador, with costs starting at $300 a couple.
THE BIG APPLE DROP