Brazil’s major New Year’s Eve celebration, especially famous for festivities at Copacabana Beach, is called Réveillon.
Réveillon is the Portuguese term commonly used in Brazil for New Year’s Eve celebrations. Rio de Janeiro’s event at Copacabana Beach is among the world’s best-known examples, combining concerts, crowds, fireworks, and traditions associated with the sea.
Many participants wear white clothing, a practice often connected with hopes for peace and renewal. Some celebrants also offer flowers to Yemanjá, an important figure in Afro-Brazilian religious traditions, although practices vary among individuals and communities.
The word Réveillon is not exclusive to Brazil. It is used in several French-speaking and Portuguese-speaking contexts for a festive New Year meal or celebration. Brazil’s event is therefore a particular national expression of a wider term, not the name of one specific fireworks display. Copacabana’s beach setting and large public gathering have made the Brazilian celebration internationally recognizable.