Rio de Janeiro’s New Year’s Eve celebration is known as Réveillon.
Réveillon is the Portuguese term commonly used in Brazil for New Year’s Eve celebrations. In Rio de Janeiro, the best-known festivities take place on Copacabana Beach, where enormous crowds traditionally dress in white, watch concerts and fireworks, and make offerings or tributes connected with Afro-Brazilian religious traditions.
The beach celebration is more than a countdown. White clothing is associated with peace and good fortune, while some participants honor Yemanjá, a sea deity revered in Candomblé and Umbanda, by sending flowers or small offerings toward the water. The event’s exact program changes, and “Réveillon” can describe New Year celebrations elsewhere in Brazil and in French-speaking contexts, but Rio’s Copacabana gathering is its most internationally famous example.