Feliz Ano Nuevo de Ecuador! We were very excited to experience our first New Year's Eve here in Ecuador. They have some interesting traditions and as you can see from the photos, we joined right in! For weeks leading up to this night, you will see as you drive around the city, piles and piles of Munecos (dolls). These are usually clothes stuffed with straw or newspaper, or dolls made of paper mache. The dolls are called "Viejos" and they represent all the bad things that have taken place over the previous year (misfortune, sickness, etc.) Some people even write all these things on a piece of paper and stuff it inside the doll. Then, on New Year's Eve, they burn the viejo to symbolize starting the New Year with a fresh start. If you walk the streets of Quito on New year's Eve, you may be stopped by a "viudo". These are men dressed up as women...the widows of the viejos who have been burned. They are mourning the loss of their "spouse" and are asking for money to support their children. You better be prepared with a jar or pocket full of coins to give them or it could be a long night for you on the street! We decided to drive around our area to watch the festivities and yes, we had a whole jar of pennies to hand out as we drove along!
Even the security guards at the entrance to our neighborhood got into it!
Our fire pit is ready!
Malia's muneco was Smurfette and Shay's was a soccer player. It was pretty amazing to see all the time that was put into making these. There were stands selling these all over the city, all different characters, all different sizes.
Stay tuned for more Ecuadorian customs and traditions!
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