For the passing of the old year into the new, I – like basically everyone else in Brazil – was dressed (at least partially) in white. White, the color of peace, hope, and purity, of the tabula rasa promised by a brand new year. Moreover, white is also a color associated with Iemanjá), the Afro-Brazilian orixá who, as goddess of the sea, is one of Brazil’s most popular deities.
To please Iemanjá – and to ask her blessing for good luck in the New Year – Brazilians (not just devotees of Candomblé and Umbanda) in many of Brazil’s coastal cities, towns, and villages don white (and/or silver for some glitz) and at the stroke of midnight wade into the ocean, jumping over seven waves (for good luck), and tossing offerings – jewels, mirrors, perfume, champagne – to the Rainha do Mar (Queen of the Sea), who has a penchant for the aforementioned glittery articles. Those hoping for peace in the New Year toss in a white flower (with a prayer); those hoping for love can add a red one as well.
Brazilians are a notoriously optimistic people. Despite sometimes hard realities, their eyes are usually cast with hope upon the future, and as such, it’s hardly surprising that Réveillon (as New Year’s Eve is known here, a borrowing from the French) is one of the biggest festas of the year, rivaling only Carnaval.
Equipped with new attire (throughout December store windows are awash in white and silver) and champagne (inexpensive sparkling cider also does the trick), Brazilians who don’t already live on a beach, often head to a beach, which is why almost all accommodations are booked in advance and are usually only available in massively marked up “pacotes de Réveillon” (New Year’s packages). Of course, the most coveted and legendary Réveillon of all is that of Rio de Janeiro), whose outsized festivities on Copacabana Beach) easily vie for the most spectacular New Year’s celebration on the planet.
Over the years, I’ve rung in Réveillon on Brazilian beaches both large and small, urban and remote…. despite the different locations, the experience is the same. The sensation of the clock striking midnight, fireworks exploding over the dark water, and dozens, hundreds, or thousands of people clad in shimmering white wading en masse into warm, flower-strewn, perfume scented seas. All in all, a pretty heady and slightly magical experience. Just imagine what would happen if someone showed up in black.
