The New Year’s Eve festival traditionally celebrated in Brazil, especially on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach, is Réveillon.
Réveillon is the Portuguese name commonly used for New Year’s Eve festivities in Brazil. Rio’s celebration is famous for large crowds, concerts and fireworks over Copacabana Beach, where many participants wear white.
White clothing is popularly associated with peace and renewal, while other colors may carry symbolic meanings in personal traditions. Some people also make offerings or honor Afro-Brazilian religious traditions connected with the sea, although practices vary widely.
Brazilian Réveillon is distinct from Carnaval, which is a separate festival held before Lent. Fireworks and beach gatherings make Rio’s celebration especially visible internationally, but Réveillon is observed throughout Brazil in many different local forms.