What do you know about celebrating New Year in Brazil?
If you know something, or have personally lived the experience, probably the image that comes to you is a lot of people dressed in white on Copacabana beach, the sea full of flowers and the sky lit by an explosion of fireworks. Perhaps, if you look more closely at this scene, you will see some people at the edge of the sea jumping seven waves, others using colorful accessories contrasting with white, which brings peace, to invoke luck in different aspects of their life; pink for love, purple is inspiration, orange the profession, green is health, yellow will bring money. And if you dare to check the pockets of the characters, you may find that some have kept in their wallets the seeds of the grapes they ate, to keep it full of money throughout the year.
Although it is considered a Christian celebration, the New Year’s passage has existed since Mesopotamia 2000 BC. As they depended on agriculture for their livelihood, they celebrated the end of winter and early spring, a new harvest season. So the Mesopotamian passage party did not take place on the night of December 31 to January 1, but from March 22 to 23. It was only with the introduction of a new calendar in the West in 1582, the Gregorian, that January 1st became the first day of the new year.
Like the New Year celebrations in the past, today they also represent hope. If today some rituals claim to attract prosperity and money, such as using the yellow color at the New Year’s Eve party or eating lentils, the cults of 4,000 years ago prayed for food and abundance.
On the other hand, the term “Reveillon” – used in Brazil for this party – is French and means “wake up”. But it doesn’t stop here; Brazilian traditions also include ingredients from Afro-Brazilian religions, with their cult of the goddess of the sea Jemanjá and the beautiful offerings of flowers that many, regardless of their beliefs, make to the water on this date.
Traditions like these we share around the globe, each with its own particular touch and variations. It is very interesting to see how and to ask why for Brazil this party has become almost a national symbol that millions of locals and foreigners attend every year. In the long run there is a difficulty to trace syncretism but very easy to identify through the magic that permeates the change of the year in Brazil. It is a sometimes sacred moment, in which we recount the year that passes and project our purposes and desires for the one that begins. It’s a stop, it’s a closure and a start, and everyone chooses how and where to celebrate it.
Luxury options for all kinds of travelers!
Rio de Janeiro is the iconic city of Reveillon, with fireworks and celebratory atmosphere in every corner. There is an opportunity here to be part of the most famous New Year’s party in Brazil and one of the largest in the world; with a stay at the iconic Belmond Hotel, an unparalleled dining experience, and the phenomenal fireworks show on Copacabana Beach, starting 2024 “as you deserve it” is falling short in words. The parties take place in impressive places throughout the hotel, a midnight toast, fires and hugs on the terraces overlooking the beach and at 1am, the hotel pool becomes a new place of joy and fun with DJ and open bar!
A night of absolute surrender to the pleasure and happiness of closing a cycle and starting a new one. And why not take advantage of the fact that we are in Rio to continue celebrating life with a lot of optional activities to get the most out of the wonderful city? How about a picnic in the lagoon or in the Lage park? A caipirinha workshop in the Sugar Loaf? You can also take a private cooking class with a renowned chef or at a carioca’s house. The next day you can plan a yacht ride through the bay, meetings with local artists in their workshops in Santa Teresa, visits to the markets with typical food tastings, or yoga, samba and forró classes, among others. There are many options, you just have to get carried away by the desires of the moment and enjoy what Rio de Janeiro has to offer.
Foz do Iguaçu
How about ending the year not leaving for tomorrow what you can do today? Iguaçu Falls is one of those destinations that we all have on our to-do list, and celebrating the New Year face to face with this impressive natural phenomenon can be very powerful.
In the Belmond das Cataratas you can have a stay of pure comfort and elegance and the scenery will take care of the rest. Celebrate the cycle change here with a wonderful buffet dinner, then join the party next to the pool animated by live music and the next day a brunch opens the year with a variety of food and drinks to continue celebrating. And the rest of the days of these vacation there is much to do, such as visiting the waterfalls by bicycle, flying over the National Park and the Iguaçú Falls by helicopter, with a magnificent view of the region and with another perspective of the force of nature, and participate in the Casa do Chef activity, an experience of sensations and customs told through the various stories of Brazilian cuisine, in a six-course menu, finished and set up in an entertaining cooking show.
Amazon
It is not the first thing that comes to our mind when thinking of a New Year’s party, but we can have some nice surprises if we are looking for a different experience. If you want to party, Manaus is not far behind from the other big cities, and if you want calm, a yacht in the middle of the jungle awaits for you. How do you feel about welcoming the new year aboard a ship in the middle of the Black River in the Amazon?
Residents and travelers celebrating in Manaus can enjoy events in various parts of the Amazon capital. If you want a classic and lively event, be sure to enjoy the traditional New Year’s Eve on the beach of Ponta Negra, with musical shows and fireworks that promise to illuminate the sky of Manaus. And if you are looking to receive the year in the tranquility of nature, in a state of contemplation and a more intimate atmosphere, you can choose to stay in a luxurious yacht surrounded by the pure Amazon jungle, away from the crowd and very close to the sounds of its exotic inhabitants. A less conventional but no less memorable way to celebrate the New Year.
Each year is different and you can choose the way to close it and prepare for a new one according to your feelings. Brazil knows it, that is why this celebration is so important for its culture and that is why each region’s identity is reflected in its kind of celebration. Those who come to savor a little of this Brazilian energy immediately realize it and are infected with this powerful magic to use it and remember it throughout the whole year.
And those who do not want to return yet and decide to spend the New Year’s hangover on some paradisiacal beach, options are not lacking in the largest country in South America. Being already in Brazilian territory you can set yourself to discover as much as possible, because a whole life is not enough to unveil all its mysteries.
