ANGRA DOS REIS - Aka Brazilian paradise
I’ve spent many New Years around the world in India, Thailand, Australia and even Peru. But nothing has quite compared with celebrating the new year in Angra dos Reis in Brazil. About 2 hours drive from Rio De Janeiro (or for those inclined thirty minutes by helicopter) Angra dos Reis, meaning “Bay of the Kings”, is an island paradise. Made up of 365 islands, Angra is home to dense rainforests, beautiful beaches and crystal clear waters.
As a tourist you may struggle to appreciate the beauty of Angra without having a local guide or your own boat as the majority of the fun happens on a boat or at the private residences of locals.
I was lucky enough to be the guest of dear Brazilian friends at their island home which was nothing less than paradise. A Brazilian breakfast greeted me each morning followed by a rigid schedule of beach volleyball, soap soccer (a plastic soccer field covered in soap) tennis or jet skiing. Plates of calamari, empadas and crab saw us through the day and after a light lunch ( served at 4pm) we were off to the “Dentist”. “The Dentist” is quite literally the bay of an island owned by a famous Brazilian dentist. The bay has become the meeting point for local Brazilians to converge upon with their boats to meet friends from other islands, drink, swim, eat and be merry. As people jump from boat trying to find their friends caprinhias flow freely. As dusk settles the boats dissipate and the festivities move back to the island homes of locals.
New Years Eve is almost anticlimatic as if you are lucky enough to spend the days prior in Angra you will almost be partied out. However it’s not a total let down. Normally a local host throws a party for 500 of their closest friends and as the ball drops in New York Brazilians are only getting warmed up in Angra. Wearing white clothing for peace, red for love, yellow for wealth and green for health, the party starts at midnight and continues well into the first day of the new year.
It is well known that it rains torrentially in Angra at this time of year but this doesn’t deter the hoards hitting the dentist and enjoying the festivities in the rain
