- Title: Revellers pack Rio’s Copacabana beach to ring in the New Year
- Date: 1st January 2017
- Summary: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (JANUARY 01, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF FIREWORKS OVER COPACABANA BEACH VARIOUS OF PEOPLE CELEBRATING THE NEW YEAR IN THE STREET A GROUP OF REVELLERS TOASTING THE NEW YEAR (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REVELLER, RENATA, SAYING: "A lot peace, money and happiness!" VARIOUS OF PEOPLE CELEBRATING (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) REVELLER, KEVIN BENSON, SAYING: "Happy New Year! It's great. Thank you very much, for everything!" PEOPLE CELEBRATING (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) REVELLER, ANDREA, SAYING: "I wish for a less prejudiced world, especially against transgender people like us who pay a price for being so real as to accept our gender identity. So, that's what I wish for. A little more respect as human beings in general. Of course." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE CELEBRATING VARIOUS OF FIREWORKS
- Embargoed: 16th January 2017 04:40
- Keywords: Rio de Janeiro Copacabana Brazil New Year fireworks 2017
- Location: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
- City: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
- Country: Brazil
- Topics: Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA0015X8YTZB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Close to two million people, most dressed in white as is tradition here, packed Rio de Janeiro's scenic Copacabana beach on Saturday (December 31) to bid farewell to 2016 and ring in 2017 with a toast under the city's massive fireworks display.
In Brazil's most famous New Year's Eve bash, Rio's skies lit up with a dazzling, 12-minute fireworks display delighting spectators standing in the sand or on the beachside Avenida Atlantica.
Eleven barges positioned about 500 meters from the curved coastline let off close to 2,000 fireworks each in a choreographed fireworks spectacular enjoyed by young and old.
At 12-minutes, this year's show was notably shorter than the traditional 16-minute shows of recent years, another victim of Brazil's ongoing economic crisis.
But revellers in the sand did not seem to notice and the party carried on with champagne, beer, caipirinhas, and of course, midnight kisses.
"A lot peace, money and happiness!" said one reveller identified only as Renata.
"Happy New Year! It's great. Thank you very much, for everything!" another celebrant, Kevin Benson said.
Many Brazilians followed the traditional custom of skipping over seven waves, throwing flowers into the ocean and making wishes.
One woman, identified only as Andrea, said she was wishing for more respect for transgender people.
"I wish for a less prejudiced world, especially against transgender people like us who pay a price for being so real as to accept our gender identity. So, that's what I wish for. A little more respect as human beings in general. Of course."
Brazil is one of the first countries in the Americas to bring in the New Year with the country's clocks striking midnight at 0200GMT.
Security was heavy as some 800,000 tourists mixed in with local residents and milled about on the night of revelry. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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