New Year's Eve Celebrations in Brazil:

A Vibrant Spectacle of Festivity in Caraguatatuba

Febuary 2024

I would like to introduce you to one of the best New Year's Eve celebration I have ever experienced. Literally, Brazilians take this event to another level. Brazil, already known for its exuberant culture and lively festivities, hosts one of the most extravagant New Year's Eve celebrations worldwide. From the bustling streets of Rio de Janeiro to the serene beaches of Bahia, the country embraces the transition to the New Year with unparalleled enthusiasm and unique traditions.

It is February 1st, and I am scrolling through photos on my phone, reminiscing about the last few weeks, which have been really busy. Not only did my sister and niece come to spend five weeks in Brazil, traveling so far from Slovakia for the first time, but also my cousin and auntie came to enjoy the end of the year on the Brazilian beach in Caraguatatuba, the weather at the end of the year turned colder than they expected. However, even during cloudy days, you can get sunburn in the summer, so the weather can actually be surprising. Gladly, they came back home nicely tanned and relaxed. 

I tried to persuade my cousin to choose different dates to visit me. The beachfront streets of Martim de Sa in Caraguatatuba, where we live, transform into lively disco houses during this time. Brazilian tourists compete to see who can play their music the loudest, everyone stays out late into the night, streets are crowded, and finding a parking spot becomes nearly impossible. The smell of Brazilian BBQ, known as churrasco, fills the air, and people stroll down the streets tipsy. Cars blare loud music, the beach is packed, and people set up their sun-protective tents in front of your table, playing loud music from their huge JBL even though it's prohibited on the beach. Grocery stores are sold out, there are long lines for bread, and traffic jams are everywhere. It becomes quite challenging for locals who just want to go about their daily lives. 

However, if you come as a tourist once a year, you might enjoy the buzz of more people on the beach. I remember from my time living in densely populated China that people actively sought out crowded places because full meant good. Whether in a country with 1.3 billion people like China or 220 million like Brazil, I still feel that the Slovak dream, and the dream of my Brazilian husband, is to spend the end of the year in a peaceful place. Of course, it depends on your age and preferences.

Anyway, with so many guests, we invited them to spend New Years Eve at Espeticho bar at my favourite Capricornio beach that hosted a buffet menu and a music band for the entire evening, lasting from 8 pm to 1 am. Personally, I have the tendency to arrive at events too early (I will write about Brazilian children's parties next), of course we arrived to an empty restaurant at 20:00, so we were able to start eating at 21:00 while enjoying drinks, hahah. The venue was equipped with a kids' playground overseen by a designated person who played with the kids, allowing the adults to relax, chat, and enjoy the evening at the table.

Most of the people in a bar were wearing white or yellow clothes. In Brazilian New Year's Eve traditions, different colours are believed to bring various energies and wishes for the upcoming year. It's a common practice for people to wear specific colours as they celebrate the transition to the New Year. Here are some of the traditional colour meanings:

1. White: White is the most popular colour and is associated with peace and renewal. Many Brazilians believe that wearing white on New Year's Eve brings good luck and signifies a fresh start.

2. Yellow or Gold: Yellow or gold is associated with wealth and prosperity. Wearing yellow is believed to bring financial success and abundance in the coming year.

3. Red: Red symbolizes love and passion. Wearing red is thought to attract romance and bring positive energy to one's love life in the upcoming year.

4. Green: Green is associated with health and well-being. Wearing green is believed to bring good health and harmony to individuals and their families.

5. Blue: Blue is linked to peace and tranquility. Wearing blue is thought to promote a calm and serene atmosphere in the coming year.

6. Pink: Pink is often associated with love and romance as well. It is worn by those seeking romantic relationships and looking to enhance their emotional connections.

7. Purple: Purple is connected to inspiration and creativity. Wearing purple is believed to bring out one's artistic and imaginative side in the upcoming year.

8. Orange: Orange is associated with energy and enthusiasm. Wearing orange is believed to bring vitality, energy, and a positive outlook for the future.

It's important to note that these color traditions can vary across regions and individual beliefs, but the practice of wearing specific colours on New Year's Eve is a widespread and cherished tradition in Brazil. I would say that most of the people including my family were wearing white clothes.

Finally, at 22:00, the band and other people arrived, and the place started to fill up. This was the time, we were suppose to come for the dinner. As we are more of the early birds, we tend to finish the dinner by 19:00, but having a New Years Eve dinner at 22:00 is way too late, mainly when you have a child.  We were fully satisfied with the dinner that was sufficient at the time we were eating and later on, there was not enough food, and it started raining heavily, right next to the buffet tables. At 23:00, Tomas decided he wanted to sleep, so I put him in the kangaroo bag, and he fell asleep straight away. 

I took my husband to listen to the band, and we danced a little while enjoying the Beatles cover versions and singing. We danced together with our sleeping baby in the middle. Danilo decided to have his last meal of a year 2023 - lentil stew. The tradition of eating lentils is found in some other countries, even in Slovakia, but also in Southern Europe and Latin America,  lentils are considered a symbol of prosperity and wealth. The small, coin-shaped legumes are thought to resemble coins and are believed to bring the money in the coming year. The idea is that by consuming lentils on New Year's Eve, individuals are inviting prosperity and good fortune into their lives.

We had fun, and we almost forgot about midnight. Just before 23:30, people started to disperse. It was only then that I noticed many cars heading towards the beach, the place was getting pretty empty, and we thought it would be boring to stay there.

We hurried to the liquor store next door, which was about to close, but they were charging high prices for a bottle of sparkling wine. So, we decided not to spend any money and ran with the whole family to the beach. As I walked with a sleeping 12 kg child on my chest, I suddenly stepped into a huge hole in the beach-grass area. I disappeared, and I laughed so much while shouting at my husband for help. Luckily, he heard me and came to my rescue :D Everyone was concerned if I was okay, but luckily, I was.

Our city, Caraguatatuba, organizes silent fireworks every year on every beach. Dozens and dozens of families with children and babies walking towards the beach is a good sign that this place avoids the might be dangerous and thief-full style of celebrations seen on Copacabana. Tomas woke up, same as the last year, he was so curious about the fireworks. "Bum, bum, bum, more mami!", he screamed. 

10 - 9 - 8 - 7 .... 3 - 2 - 1 FELIZ ANO NOVO! And there were fires, smiles, kisses,  cheers, champagne, and fireworks all around us. We were at the perfect spot to see the five fireworks displays in the city and three more on the beaches to the left, towards the north. Families were hugging and kissing, enjoying the beautiful view.

At one point, a family group of 10 suddenly started running towards the ocean. My auntie shouted, "Look, they are going to swim in those huge waves!" My husband and I started to laugh - Brazilians believe that for the New Year, you need to jump seven waves and pray for seven wishes. And if you cannot do it during the night, you can do it the next day. Therefore, the whole nation comes to the beach on this date. Caraguatatuba, with its 140,000 inhabitants, suddenly became a city with 600,000 people. Each day, city was hosting concerts, events, exhibitions, and parties.

Some people around us were lighting the candles for Goddess of the sea Iemanjá in Afro-Brazilian religions. Devotees and believers dressed in white gather at beaches, offering flowers, candles, and small boats laden with gifts as a token of reverence to Iemanjá. They cast these offerings into the ocean, seeking blessings, prosperity, and protection for the coming year. 

Yes, our New Years Eve was not as spectacular as on Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro, that transforms into a sea of people adorned in white attire. Millions gather along the shoreline, anticipating the grand fireworks display that illuminates the sky at midnight. The mesmerising pyrotechnics synchronised with music create a breathtaking spectacle, drawing both locals and tourists into a collective euphoria of celebration. We did not continue in running around the city with a Carnival Bloco. But we went home to sleep. (Yeah, we are old and responsible parents.) But for a 140 000 people city, this was out of my expectations.