One of the fun things about being a gringo living in a foreign country is realizing that a lot of times, you don’t have a clue what’s going on. I say fun because it keeps life interesting. Take the last post on this subject. I mentioned that all the New Year’s parades end on the 6th of January. Several sources had confirmed this statement for me before I posted. Which made it even more surprising when the cab we were in this past weekend had to divert to another street to avoid a major obstruction.
Masks used for dummies to be burned later on . . .
The obstruction? Another huge parade!! I asked the driver what was going on. “Didn’t all the New Year’s parades in the city come to a close on the 6th? “Oh yeah,” he answered, “this one is for getting ready for Carnival.” Carnival (“Carnaval” here) is a celebration that is connected with the observance of Lent. Kind of a “Lent is coming up quick so let’s do all the crazy stuff we can before it comes” celebration (I’ll post more on that when we’re closer to the event). I guess it’s true what they say . . . you need to ask the right kind of questions. With this new information at hand, and after some more asking around, I found out that there will be various celebrations here in the city pretty much until Mother’s Day.
I don't know what these guys have to smile about. They're doomed.
Back to the subject at hand. In the last post I left off with a few other customs related to the celebration of New Year’s here in Ecuador. One has to do with burning stuff, and the other has to do with cross dressing. Let’s take a look at the first one . . .
A traditional part of the celebration of New Year’s in Ecuador is to burn a sawdust filled dummy at midnight or the turn of the new year. This practice apparently has it’s origin in ancient Roman custom. In the past the dummy represented some unfortunate event or person involved in a scandal, really anything bad from the past year. Burning these dummies carried the idea of doing away with the bad of the past year and starting off fresh. In recent years, however, the dummies seem to represent just about anything from the past year. For example, we took a trip to Guayaquíl during last month and saw hundreds if not thousands of these dummies for sale to the public.
Doh!!!
“Sid the Sloth” from the “Ice Age” movies was well represented. Also “The Incredible Hulk” and “Spider-man” were among the potential arson victims. “Homer Simpson” shows up a lot. There is no immunity here either from the desire to out do your neighbor. One of the “Hulk” dummies we saw was about two stories tall. Our neighbors put a fifteen foot tall “Michael Jackson” dummy out on the corner. It’s amazing that more houses don’t go up in flames on New Year’s with the burning of some of these giant effigies. New Year’s day always finds the streets littered with the cremated remains of these reminders of the past year.
Another custom has to do with “El Viuda del Año Viejo” (Widow of the Old Year.) Right now some of you who are Spanish speakers are thinking, “That should be “La Viuda” not “El Viuda”. “Viuda is feminine.” Right you are. Still, I stick by “El Viuda.” Why? Because these “Viudas” are invariably male. Yes, the tradition here at New Year’s is for men to dress up as women or “Widows of the Old Year” and beg for money from passing cars or people on the street. The money is ostensibly for “funeral arrangements” for the all but dead past year, but is actually for a party or booze or both.
One of the larger dummies we saw this year . . .
A part of this tradition is for these “widows” to block traffic with a rope, do a little dance, and beg for money. In Manta one New Year’s Eve day we were taking the bus to a friend’s house and came upon a group of “widows.” They had slung a rope across the road in an attempt to block our passage. The driver was either having a bad day, didn’t have any more money to give out, or had just plain had enough. Instead of braking, he put the accelerator to the floor. Let me tell you. Seeing thirty guys dressed as women shooting off in all directions trying to escape being crushed by a loaded city bus, and doing so in high heels, is a sight that will stay with you for a very, very long time. Ahh, the memories.
You may have noticed that contrary to my usual custom, this part of the blog is not accompanied by any photographs. Originally the tradition was what some would call “fairly innocent.” Dress up like a widow. Beg for money. Go home and have a party. Nowadays it’s taken on far a more “provocative” aspect. I’ve always considered this blog to be rated “G.” I’d like it to be something I’d feel comfortable having my young nephew read. The way these “widows” were dressed and what they were doing out in the street on New Year’s Eve was far from “rated G.” So, no photos. Sorry . . .
So, as you can see from these two posts on the subject of New Year’s celebrations in Ecuador, life gets pretty interesting here during this particular holiday. Hopefully this post has served to give you another little taste of what life is like here as a gringo living in Ecuador.
Until the next post,
Mike
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Hi Patricia. Glad to hear see that you’re enjoying the blog.
As to your questions:
The Kichwa verb for love is Kuyana, conjugated according to who or what you’re referring to. The word for friend is Mashi. However, depending on where you’ll be staying, you may hear the Spanish word “Amigo” used more often.
As far as airfares go, we’ve always just kept an eye on the major airlines that serve Ecuador and pick the best price. They’re always changing.
Hope that helps a bit and that you enjoy your time here in Ecuador!
hello, I like your blog. I am going to Ecuador to live in an indigenous community for 1 month this summer. I visited last year as a chaperone for one of our grade school trips from the states. I have been corresponding ever since August with friends in Ecuador.
I have two questions, Do you know the kichwa word for love ( freindship)?
and
What have you found to be the cheapest air fare from the states…Pa? Thanks, Patrici