Rio de Janeiro's New Year's Eve celebration on Copacabana Beach is commonly called Réveillon.
Réveillon is a Portuguese term for a New Year's Eve celebration, and Rio's event is one of Brazil's largest public festivities. Millions of people may gather along Copacabana Beach for concerts, religious and cultural traditions, and a large midnight fireworks display over the Atlantic.
Many attendees wear white, a practice associated with peace and with Afro-Brazilian religious traditions. Some people also make offerings or cast flowers into the sea, especially in customs connected with Yemanjá, a widely revered figure in Brazilian religious culture.
Réveillon is not the same event as Brazilian Carnival. Carnival generally occurs before Lent and is known for samba parades and bloco street parties, while Réveillon marks the change from December 31 to January 1. The word is also used for New Year's celebrations in other Portuguese-speaking places.