Everyone knows that Rio de Janeiro throws down for Carnival, but did you know that they also throw one of the top New Year’s Eve parties in the world? The city welcomes the New Year on the beach at Copacabana, and the New Year’s Eve celebrations there are truly a spectacle.

According to About.com, the party on the beach at Copacabana was originally started by devotees of Brazil’s Candomble religion, who flocked to the beach to honor Iemanja, the goddess of the sea.  What started as a small religious festival has grown into a full-fledged party, with bands, fireworks and approximately 2 million people attending.

If you go, you should definitely wear white to the party. According to Ipanema.com, white is traditional for luck. You can wear accessories in other colors, depending on what you wish for in the coming year. For example, red  is for romance , yellow is  for wealth and green is for health.  Black is unlucky, so leave that little black dress in the closet for tonight!

You should also wear comfy shoes-according to South American Experts,  “the night of entertainment ceases only as the sun begins to rise.”

If you want to spend New Year’s in Brazil, you need to get a Brazilian visa first.  Brazil has a complicated visa system.  There are many different types of visas, and the application procedure is a little bit different for each type visa.

However, if you are visiting Brazil as a tourist, here is what you need to submit your application:

• Your US passport, which must be valid for at least the next 6 months. Brazil’s visa takes up two pages, so make sure you have two blank pages left in the back.
• One Brazilian visa application
• 2 passport-sized photos
• A copy of your  itinerary stating when you will be entering and leaving Brazil.
• A clear, legible copy of your driver’s license or state-issued ID card.
• If you will be visiting friends or relatives, you also need a letter from them.

You’ll also need a yellow fever vaccination to get a Brazilian visa if you’ve been to any of the following countries in the past 90 days: Angola, Bolivia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, French Guiana, Gabon, Ghana, Gambia, Republic of Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Peru, Sierra Leone, Sudan or Venezuela.

RushMyTravelVisa can research the visa requirements for your trip to make sure you have the documents you need. We can also help you collect the necessary documents and fill out the application, and then forward your information to the appropriate embassy or consulate for the fastest possible processing.

Need a Brazilian visa?  Apply with us today!

Tags: Brazil, Brazilian visa, Rio de Janeiro

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 20th, 2009 at 1:31 am and is filed under Destinations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.