Much of the globe has celebrated the beginning of 2017 with fireworks, parties, and other festivities, though many are somber in reflecting on the politics and popular culture of the past tumultuous year. New Zealand, nearby Pacific islands, Australia and Russia were among the first to ring in 2017. The annual fireworks show in Sydney, Australia drew a crowd of over a million people who lined the waterfront to watch a show dedicated to the late entertainers David Bowie and Gene Wilder – just two of an unusually large number of celebrities who passed in 2016. Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Pyongyang all celebrated with fireworks shows as well. But many countries are somber, wary of a new year of politics and security threats. Residents of Berlin, where a terrorist attack on a Christmas market took place earlier in December, are not only concerned about security, but about the direction Europe's politics in the face of attacks and consequent fear. Many parts of China were on security lockdown Saturday evening, and state news agencies reported that fireworks sales had been banned in Shanghai.