Finding
the perfect place to ring in the New Year can be tough. But if you’re willing
to do a little plane-hopping, you have the whole world to choose from. Which
means, naturally, you’ll want to head to Brazil.
The
party is called Réveillon, and it’s best described as Carnaval’s older
sister—in short, a pretty satisfying way to bid adieu to 2009. The main
difference is the date (New Year’s Eve, if you weren’t paying attention) and
the guest of honor. Instead of limbering up for Lent, you’ll be paying homage
to Iemanjá, the Yoruba sea goddess, who allows for considerably more revelry
than her Catholic counterparts.
Since
you’re toasting the sea goddess, you’ll be trading the streets of Rio for
two-and-a-half miles of beach, populated by just over 2 million Rio natives and
a peppering of extremely popular Americanos. The dress code is
white-on-white—it’s summer down there, after all—with colored accessories
signifying different wishes for the New Year. Green brings you health, gold
brings you money, and red brings you romance…although we doubt you’ll need any
help in that department.
Like
any good guest, you’ll want to bring a gift for the hostess—that usually means
flowers—and when the clock strikes twelve, hurl it into the sea along with the
other partygoers. You’ll know it’s time when the fireworks start, but they
should keep going well into the New Year; the celebration is a perennial
contender for the world record of largest fireworks show on earth.
Hopefully
you can create some sparks of your own.