New Year's Eve in Copacabana or Réveillon in Cobacabana is the largest New Year's celebration in the world, taking place from December 31 to January 1 on Copacabana Beach, located in Rio de Janeiro. The event features a fireworks display lasting around 12 minutes, along with performances by various artists, currently attracting around two million people.

The word réveillon originates from the French verb réveiller, which means "to wake up." Thus, réveillon symbolizes the awakening of the new year.

Those who began celebrating New Year's Eve on Copacabana Beach were Candomblé practitioners in the 1970s. The event was smaller in scale, and everyone wore white to honor Iemanjá, offering gifts to the sea before midnight.

The practice of wearing white clothing and offering flowers to the sea became part of the New Year's tradition, not only in Rio de Janeiro but throughout Brazil. According to Candomblé, the color white is used to symbolize mourning for death, which allows for rebirth and the continuation of life.

The tradition of fireworks during New Year's in Copacabana was started by Mario, the owner of the former By Marius steakhouse, in 1978. He gathered local merchants from Leme to raise funds for the fireworks display.

In 1993, to prevent crowding after the fireworks show, the city began organizing beach concerts, ensuring people wouldn't all leave at once. Performances by Jorge Ben and Tim Maia helped ease the flow of the crowd.

Following this highly successful experience of New Year's Eve concerts, the city government registered the event as official, bringing various attractions to the Copacabana stages every year.

According to https://en.wikipedia.org/