The pictures and video really speak for themselves. New Year's is probably the biggest celebration in Ecuador.
We had leftovers for days...
The video...*it may load better on YouTube
My family arrived around 10:30-11 and we were talking and dancing a little until we went outside for the fireworks, sparklers, and the burning of the años viejos at midnight.
This was a really unique experience for me. The burning of the años viejos (old years) is probably the most important and most widely done tradition of New Years Eve in Ecuador. People make large, scarecrow-like dolls often portraying people they dislike or people who have wronged them from the past year. You can often find portrayals of presidents or celebrities. There are fun ones too, like the minions that my family decided to get. They sell them in the street for weeks leading up to New Year's Eve. At midnight, everyone lights these dolls of newspaper, paper mache, and sawdust on fire. The symbolic meaning is that by burning the dolls, you are forgetting the bad of the past year and looking forward to the coming of a better year. Imagine seeing all these streets lit with lines of dummies being burnt! Everyone does it.
Also, we ate grapes, pineapple, and other fruit at midnight for prosperity and a spoonful of lentils to bring a year full of work and money.
After the fire burnt out, we went back inside for dinner. Yep, dinner. At 1 in the morning. But the food was fantastic. Apparently, midnight is only the start of the party here in Ecuador. Half of the family left after we ate but the rest of us ended up dancing the rest of the night (I didn't sleep) and leaving for a beach in Peru at 9 that morning. The beach was beautiful, the water was warm with huge waves, and I had a lot of fun. I can say I have spent January 1st on a beach in Peru. It was a great way to start off 2014 and I am glad I could spend it with my Ecuadorian family. I really enjoyed partying with them and am so happy that I chose to stay with them all night instead of going elsewhere to party.
That being said, there were so many parties to choose from- they were everywhere. You couldn't really sleep because every street had music, dancing, fireworks, and partying somewhere. Some people went for a nap at 4am and continued to party at 6am. The discotecas were open all night into the morning, and then the party moved somewhere else. Traveling on January first was a sight with plenty of ash piles in the street and most businesses shut down for the day.
If you are interested in reading more facts about the tradition and history of the años viejos or the festivities in general... see the following articles.
http://www.lan.com/onlyinsouthamerica/2012/12/goodbye-old-year/
http://www.life-in-ecuador.com/ecuador-new-years.html
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