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Is one allowed to go out watching the fireworks in the new year of the common era, is there any reason, why it could be forbidden?!

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    Please edit in as much information as you can about why such observation may or may not be avodah zarah.
    – Isaac Moses ♦
    Commented Dec 29, 2014 at 16:35
  • Anecdotally, I was once in Eilat on Dec 31 and it was pretty much impossible to avoid partaking of the fireworks. For what that's worth.
    – Monica Cellio
    Commented Dec 29, 2014 at 17:12
  • If you cannot avoid, that's something else :)
    – Zeev Breiner
    Commented Dec 29, 2014 at 18:42

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See this article which analyzes part of Igrot Moshe on the topic of New Year's celebrations in general.

While you should read the whole article, I'm excerpting the part that I believe is most relevant to your question:

Rabbi Feinstein (Iggerot Moshe, Yoreh Deah 4:11(4)) is logically correct in his observation that:

‘Thus, it is obvious in my opinion, that even in a case where something would be considered a prohibited Gentile custom, if many people do it for reasons unrelated to their religion or law, but rather because it is pleasurable to them, there is no prohibition of imitating Gentile custom. So too, it is obvious that if Gentiles were to make a religious law to eat a particular item that is good to eat, halacha would not prohibit eating that item. So too, any item of pleasure in the world cannot be prohibited merely because Gentiles do so out of religious observance.’ ”

My opinion, which I feel is supported by the above quote - you are watching fireworks, which per se is not any form of religious observance or practice. You could technically claim that that you are doing so completely unrelated to the New Year's celebration, i.e., it's just fireworks - no different from your watching Independence Day fireworks (i.e. - your disconnecting your watching from the day that it occurs.) There is certainly no problem doing this.

In the worst case, if even in your mind you are celebrating New Years, see the rest of the article that cites most opinions stating that New Years has lost its religious significance.

FYI - There will be a fireworks display just before midnight tonight (1/1/15) over New York Harbor at Liberty Island.

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  • Nice answer; this was my feeling as well, nice to know what R Moshe said about it.
    – MTL
    Commented Dec 30, 2014 at 18:19
  • Thanks for letting me know, but i live like 10 hours flight from NYC :p
    – Zeev Breiner
    Commented Jan 4, 2015 at 12:47
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    Seems strange to quote a translation that the author of the same article claims is distorted/mistranslated. Furthermore even if the translation is accepted as is in its questionable form, it does not demonstrate the claim that watching fireworks fired off in celebration of New Year's, is permissible - it demonstrates a lesser claim, i.e. that watching fireworks is permissible.
    – Deuteronomy
    Commented Dec 27, 2023 at 22:47
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It is permitted.

Source: I was eating a meal with my Rebbi one Friday night (December 31, 2010), and after the meal we all went outside to watch the fireworks.

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  • sounds pretty good, if you realy on that rabbi, ortodox?
    – Zeev Breiner
    Commented Dec 29, 2014 at 19:39
  • I can't say his name here without his permission, but I will say he is an Orthodox Rosh Yeshiva of a respected (some might say 'yeshivish') Yeshiva.
    – Salmononius2
    Commented Dec 29, 2014 at 19:41
  • that's enough for me :) thx
    – Zeev Breiner
    Commented Dec 29, 2014 at 19:49
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    Definitely not enough for me
    – sam
    Commented Dec 30, 2014 at 2:07
  • Perhaps consider changing this answer to a comment
    – Moz
    Commented Dec 27, 2023 at 22:16

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