New York, Dec. 28. Dozens of tourists from France, Greece, Argentina, Mexico and the United States, among many other countries, lined up this Wednesday in New York’s iconic Times Square without worrying about the bitter cold of winter to express what they want to let each other behind them when they say goodbye to 2022.
Illnesses, high cost of living, toxic relationships, bad friends, “bad vibes”, hatred, resentments or the situation in Venezuela are part of that long list of things they so want to get rid of. some of whom queued for more than an hour in a busy Times Square.
“I want to leave behind the debts, the bad friendships that have not given me anything good this year”, Juan, a Mexican who came with his children Aaron and Leslie, told EFE.
In this event, which has been held for more than 16 years, participants first tear off the paper on which they wrote what they want to leave behind and throw it in a trash can, then have to hit a punching bag with all their might and run a short distance until you cross the finish line.
This symbolic event is inspired by a Latin American tradition in which dolls are stuffed with items that represent bad memories and then set on fire, according to the organizer, the Times Square Alliance, which brings together area merchants.
Wilmer, a Venezuelan who has lived in New York for a year, hopes that the difficult situation his country is experiencing, which has forced thousands of people to emigrate, will go away with 2022 and that the new year will bring him “new energy, progress and much health”.
Mariana, also from Mexico, and María Florencia, a tourist from Argentina, patiently waited to leave their list in the trash can that included hate, debt, illness or the difficult economic situation in Argentina which makes it difficult for her to travel to see her daughter and granddaughter in New York.
With just a few days left of the year, it was crazy this Wednesday walking through the famous tourist area of Times Square, where thousands of people moved from place to place, many with children, others queuing to buy tickets to musicals, while those workers have put the finishing touches to the stage from which 2023 will be greeted.
The surrounding streets were filled with trucks and camera crews setting up sets for the New Year’s Eve broadcast.
The event to receive 2023 will begin just before 6pm local time, when the Swarovski Crystal Orb will be placed atop a pole in One Times Square, from where it will descend on the stroke of midnight.
The show will feature singers Chelsea Cutler and JVKE and the group Duran Duran, while the Latin channels will have Cuban rapper Osmani García and Panamanian Sech on their stage.
