New Year's Eve at Copacabana Beach,Rio de Janeiro,Brazil

No less impressive then Rio's wild and raucous Carnaval celebrations is New Year's Eve along Copacabana Beach during the exotic,mysterious quintessentially Brazilian homage to Iemanja.She is beloved African goddess of the sea and central deity(conveniently conflated with the Virgin Mary) in such Afro-Brazilian spirit cults as condomble,macumba and umbanda.Well before dusk,thousands of her white-clad followers begin to gather on Rio's many beaches,particularly Copacabana,where macumbeiros baptize initiates while others chant and create candlelit sand altars.The air is thick with incese as a huge fireworks display turns the thirty-six-floor Meridien Copacabana hotel into a gigantic Roman candle.Cariocas(Rio's residents) launch small handmade boats carrying their gifts of flowers,perfume,lipstick,mirrors,and lit candles-anxious to see if Iemanja will accept them and fulfill their wishes(the boats are washed out to sea and sink into the depths) pr reject them(the waves return them to shore).The best view for those not into entranced crowds is from above.If you can't wrangle an invitation to any of the swank hich-rises lining Avenida Atlantica,book a beachside room at the Meridien,but do it months in advance.
Information:Le Meridien Copacabana,tel:55/213873-3888

New Year's Eve Greetings for everybody

If it comes to the end of the year everybody goes crazy,in a way or another.No matter if they just chill at home with friends or go on a cruise or travel to places one can only dream about.
Either way each year a lot of charts are made by different websites,tv shows,magazines trying to figure out where it is best to party,best to chill,best to eat,best to travel and so on for New Year's eve.If you'd ask me I would answer that it doesn't matter where you are,but with whom you are,cause having the right people on your side will bring you the best time of your life no matter if you party in a basement,in an one room apartment or in a tent.
I'm sending all my friends from all over the world my best wishes.May the year to come be better then the one that passed,filled with love,money and health.
Get your friends together and make the best out of it...Here is a list of how u can say Cheers in 50 different languages..In Romanian you say Noroc!...
Afrikaans : Gesondheid! : (Ge-sund-hide)
Albanian : Gëzuar! : (Géschuar)
Arabic (Egyptian) : في صحتكم! : (Fee-sa-ha-tak)