Britons take to the streets

By Thomas Abraham

LONDON, JAN. 1. Elementary mathematics says the new millenium should only begin on January 1, 2001. This, however, did not prevent millions of Britons from pouring into the streets last night to greet the new century in one of the biggest public celebrations this country has seen.

Over two million people packed a two mile stretch along the Thames in London to hear the Big Ben chime in the new year and watch a spectacular fireworks display that lit up the night sky. While ordinary Britons thronged the streets, Queen Elizabeth, the Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair and around 10,000 other celebrities and guests saw in the New Year in the Millenium Dome, a large tent-shaped structure that has become the newest landmark on the London skyline.

The spirit of celebration was helped by the fact that the millenium bug did not bite in Britian and elsewhere in western Europe. Electricity, communication and transport remained unaffected and a government crisis monitoring centre said it had received no reports of any services failing to function. Experts have warned that potential problems can still surface over the next two weeks. But earlier apocalyptic warnings of a social breakdown due to a widespread failure of computer systems were clearly exaggerated and the millions of pounds the Government and private businesses spent in making sure their equipment was millenium-safe paid off.

While street parties were held in Britain's towns and cities, the main celebration was in London, centered on the Thames, the river which has shaped the city's fortunes. Queen Elizabeth travelled down the river on a barge, as her ancestors used to in the earlier centuries. The buildings on either side were lit brilliantly as were the bridges across the river. Laser beams and helicopters with powerful lights illuminated the night sky. The barge stopped at the Tower Bridge where the Queen lit a millenium beacon before floating downriver to Greenwich, symbolic home of the Greenwich meridian. Here the Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh and their daughter Princess Anne, disembarked to begin the celebrations at the Dome.

Inside the Dome, the presence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, was the only reminder that the millenium is seen by the church as a religious event. The Archbishop, accompanied by three children from a Barnados home for the underprivileged, offered brief prayers before the evening was given to music and dance.

For the millions outside the Dome, the pay-off came at midnight when over 3.75 tonnes of fireworks lit the London sky for 20 minutes.

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Section  : International
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