Rio de Janeiro's famous New Year's Eve celebration is called Réveillon. The event centers on Copacabana Beach, where enormous crowds gather for music, fireworks, and midnight celebrations.
Many participants wear white, a color associated with peace and spiritual renewal in Brazilian New Year's customs. Some also make offerings to Iemanjá, a water deity honored in Afro-Brazilian religious traditions, often by placing flowers or small gifts in the sea.
Réveillon is a French-derived term used in Portuguese for a festive New Year's Eve gathering. Rio's celebration is often confused with Carnival because both feature music and huge crowds, but Carnival takes place later and is a separate season of festivities. Attendance and fireworks displays vary from year to year.