Réveillon

In Belgium, Brazil, France, Portugal, Romania, the province of Québec, many cities across Northern Ontario, and Northern New Brunswick, the city of New Orleans, and some other French-speaking places, a réveillon is a long dinner held on the evenings preceding Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The name of this dinner is based on the word réveil (meaning "waking"), because participation involves staying awake until midnight and beyond. In Portuguese-speaking countries, it is also a designation for the party preceding the New Year's Day. In the United States, the réveillon tradition is still observed in New Orleans due to the city's strong French heritage, with a number of the city's restaurants offering special réveillon menus on Christmas Eve.