River rushing preparations for its massive celebration of new year

posted on: Dec 31 2011 8:14 by RDugey. Viewed 21 times.


The Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro led yesterday preparations for the celebration of new year, which will be one of the most crowded in the world and which will bring together tomorrow on Copacabana beach to nearly two million people.

The employees of the municipal works company yesterday gave the finishing touches to the four impressive stage installed along the four kilometres of sand before the watchful eye of thousands of tourists who walk along the beach under a sky encapotado.

New year party is going to be animated by local artists such as the samba singer Beth Carvalho and the band O Rappa, as star to the French DJ David Guetta.

At the peak, at midnight, it shall burn 24 tons of fireworks, that illuminate the sky of river for 16 minutes and 30 seconds, as authorities said premises.

Fires burning will be conducted by the Spanish company Fireworks equally, u000aBarcelona, winner of a public tender, and will be a few meters from the coast from eleven floating rafts that began to be remolcadas to their respective location.

Will close to 30,000 tourists they witness the firework display on board ten transatlantic cruises and dozens of yachts, some of which had been anchored to the beach.

Accompanying fires burning, will be projected on the main stage a series of three-dimensional images of environmentalist reason, which will serve as an appetizer for the UN Summit on sustainable development Río 20, to be held in this city next June.

It is expected that two million people, including some 700,000 tourists, will receive the year ahead in Rio, mostly dressed in white, symbol of the desire for peace for the year starter.

Although minority use yellow cake is another common color in new year's Party, in u000arepresentation of money, as tradition dictates Brazilian.

Many Brazilians took yesterday to meet with the tradition of African origin to a floral offering to Yemanyá, divinity of the seas, leaving a trail of white petals and stems by the sand.

The Mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes, yesterday issued a decree to declare "carioca cultural heritage" the cult of Yemanyá, who is venerated by the faithful of African religion candomblé and umbanda, a syncretic cult born in Brazil which also incorporates elements of Christianity.

Every December 29 "umbandists" make a procession with a picture of Yemanyá and botan miniature ships at sea with ties tied in their masts, which write wishes for the new year.

Rio de Janeiro is the Brazilian region with more followers of religions of African origin, with 1.61 percent of its population, about 257,000 faithful, according to a recent u000astudy of the prestigious centro de estudios Fundación Getulio Vargas.

The offering to Yemanyá is a tradition that has transcended to one's religion and that now the practice much of the carioca people. EFE