How do Brazilians celebrate New Year's Eve?

Brazil is a country known for it's parties and festivals - and their elaborate New Year's Eve celebration is no exception. New Year’s Eve, or "Réveillon," is one of the most widely celebrated events in the Brazil. Its blend of indigenous, African, and European new year traditions has given rise to a unique event combining religious practices with the modern NYE experience, including a huge fireworks display on Copacabana Beach.

This post will explore how Brazilians celebrate Reveillon (New Year's Eve), their unique traditions to bring good fortune for the upcoming year, and what happens at the world's largest new year's eve celebration held on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.

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Feliz Ano Novo! New Year's Eve Traditions in Brazil

On it's surface, New Year’s Eve in Brazil just seems like one gigantic party. But when you look below the surface, it is steeped in rituals and traditions that are intended to bring good fortune, health, and happiness to the year ahead.

Why do Brazilians wear white on New Year's Eve?

It is tradition to wear white on New Year’s Eve in Brazil, to symbolize peace and renewal. This practice originates from Afro-Brazilian traditions, particularly those of the Candomblé and Umbanda religions, where white represents purity and is a way of honoring the Orixás (deities). Today, this tradition has been widely adopted across Brazil.

What colour underwear to wear to New Year's Eve in Brazil

Though everyone dresses in white outfit, your choice of underwear has a different symbolic meaning. In Brazil, you should wear underwear that represents the energies or outcomes you are hoping for in the coming year. Each color is associated with a particular desire:

• White: Peace and new beginnings

• Pink: Love, romance, and relationships

• Red: Love, passion, and desire

• Green: Health and well-being, balance

• Blue: Harmony, serenity and wisdom

• Yellow: Wealth, prosperity, and career

• Gold: Money, money, money!

• Orange: Creativity, confidence, and motivation

• Purple: Spirituality, intuition, inspiration, transformation

• Grey: Prosperity, progress, and innovation

• Black: Independence, power, and mystery

• Brown: Security and confidence, feeling grounded

Ceia de Ano-Novo (New Year's Eve Dinner)

Ceia de Ano Novo is held on the evening of 31 December and is usually eaten late, either shortly before or just after midnight. The dinner is typically prepared at home and shared with family and friends, although you can also attend Ceia de Ano-Novo at hotels and restaurants during Réveillon.

The meal focuses on foods linked to prosperity and forward movement. Lentils are a key element because their flat, round shape resembles coins, and eating them is believed to encourage financial stability in the coming year. Chicken is avoided because chickens scratch backwards, which is associated with regression or stalled plans. Instead, pork and fish are preferred. This is because pigs and fish move forward, symbolising progress, while fish also symbolises continuity and abundance. Common side dishes include rice with raisins, farofa, salads, and seasonal fruits.

Here are some of Brazil's other New Year's Eve traditions

• Jumping seven waves: Once the clock strikes midnight, it is tradition to get in the ocean to jump over seven waves. This symbolises asking Iemanjá for permission to enter the new year and for her protection in the months ahead, and each wave is linked to a specific wish, such as health, work, love, or stability. Iemanjá is an orixá (deity) in Afro-Brazilian religions such as Candomblé and Umbanda and is associated with the sea, motherhood, fertility, and protection.

• An offering of flowers: After jumping the seven waves, many people leave offerings for Iemanjá. The most common offerings are white flowers, particularly roses or gladioli, which symbolise peace, respect, and purity. The offerings are placed in the water and if the flowers drift out to sea, it is seen as a sign that Iemanjá has accepted the offering.

• Putting a bay leaf in your wallet: Some people place a bay leaf in their wallet at the start of the year as a symbol of attracting money and financial stability. The leaf is kept there for the whole year, until the following New Year’s Eve, when the old bay leaf thrown into a body of water. You must then replace it with a new one to maintain your fortune for the next year.

• Start the year off on the right foot: Make sure your first step of the year is taken with your right foot, to bring good luck and positive outcomes. Some people do this by lifting their left foot and standing on their right foot just before midnight while waiting for the new year to begin, or by counting down to midnight on a chair or step and stepping down with the right foot when the new year begins.

• Eating Lentils: Eating specific foods is another common practice during Réveillon, brought to Brazil by Italian immigrants. Brazilians prepare lentilha da sorte (lucky lentils), a dish made with lentils, vegetables, and sausage. Lentils are believed to symbolize abundance and prosperity, and may bring you money in the new year.

• Eating Grapes: Similarly, it is also common to eat eat 12 grapes at midnight, with each grape representing one month of the year.

• Fireworks: Modern traditions like fireworks displays also play a big role in the celebrations, in most cities and towns across Brazil. At midnight, there is a huge fireworks display over Copacabana Beach, launched from barges offshore, and lasting around 12 minutes. The New Year's Eve party on Copacabana Beach attracts over 2.5 million people each year, and is widely considered to be the largest in the world. If you are planning to spend New Year's Eve on Copacabana beach, don't forget to read my full guide.

More resources for planning your trip to Brazil

• I use Bookaway to find cheap bus & ferry tickets and private transfers , or and Kiwi to find cheap flights. Or, rent a car and give yourself the freedom to explore at your own pace.

• Book your accommodation on Booking.com, with thousands of options ranging from luxury hotels to budget-friendly backpacker hostels, there's something for everyone

• You're not ready to travel until you have travel insurance. I recommend Safety Wing to my friends, family, and anyone travelling internationally. Get a free quote.

• Don't forget to read my packing check-list for Brazil

• Last but not least, discover 10 things you should do before you travel to Brazil