Dressed head to toe in white, three million revellers gathered on the famous Copacabana Beach in Brazil to watch the passing of 1999 and the first minutes of the new millennium.
The human tide flowed beneath the outstretched arms of Rio de Janeiro's landmark Christ the Redeemer statue and Sugar Loaf Mountain. Although some people attended parties in multi-million pound sea-view apartments, most preferred the beach where rich mingled with poor on Copacabana's black-and-white mosaic pavement.
A feverish atmosphere of expectation gripped the crowd early on and many let off impromptu rockets which punctured the night with shot-gun bangs.
However, the thronging crowd had more than partying on its mind. Followers of Candomble, a blend of Catholicism and traditional African worship, gathered on the beach and prayed to the sea goddess Yemanya. They dug potholes in the sand and placed a ring of candles inside. These wells of light were the focus for dozens of silent rituals and many edged off their mini-altars with a circle of flowers.
But you didn't have to be a believer to take part in the tradition. Nearly everyone carried stems of white flowers which were cast into the surf on the first stroke of midnight as a gift to the sea goddess.
Speaking at the start of the celebrations, the President of Brazil, Mr Fernando Henrique Cardoso, insisted that the country must provide equal opportunities for all its people in the new millennium.
He added that Brazil should do everything to protect its extensive natural resources by implementing environmental safeguards.
With a high of 30 C, the weather was at first perfect for the party on the beach, but as night wore on, a strong wind blew in from the Atlantic and by 10.30 pm. tropical rain fell. But it did nothing to dampen the spirits of Rio's people or stop their dancing in the street.
Next to 4,000 armed police officers, street vendors set up mini-barbecues, roasting prawns and meat on long sticks, and, with the pulsing beat of live samba bands, the city invoked its famous carnival spirit.
Yet not everyone was partying. Many of Rio's inhabitants who live in abject poverty worked throughout the special night. A small army, including entire families, walked up and down the main street collecting discarded cans in giant plastic bags. The homeless crouched in dark shadows.
With no clock to mark the passing moments, a city notoriously relaxed towards the passage of time started celebrating the 21st century six minutes before midnight. However, officials, with an eye on the clock, stuck to the schedule and marked the historic moment with a spectacular display of fireworks.
The half-dozen co-ordinated pyrotechnics flooded Copacabana with an unnatural daylight. The sky turned pink, purple then gold as a waterfall of delicate fire exploded in the night air. Yet green and yellow - the colours of the Brazilian flag - were the main themes of the display.
For 18 minutes, stars, comets of fire and golden light curls filled the sky. People on the shore were speechless: the city's famously dramatic landscape of mountains and rain forest was at its most beautiful. For the finale, dozens of white firework bombs streaked the Atlantic Ocean with rays of silver. In the minutes after midnight, couples kissed and people baptised themselves in the sea. An elderly man poured sparkling wine on his head while his wife, kneeling in the waves, threw her flowers to the sea goddess.
In the small hours, the beach started to empty. Women carried their high heels and walked barefoot through the streets, while men stripped off to the waist.
As the crowd cleared, an army of litterpickers started a massive clean-up. Special vacuum cleaners and sand-cleaning machines removed the dregs of the party and returned Copacabana to its former glory.
