So, this is the New Year. After all the eating and revelry of Christmas, we had a few days of rest before another party weekend came upon us. Like most of the world, New Year's Eve in Cuenca is an excuse to celebrate with friends and families. But, of course, there are a few unique traditions. During the day, the streets were brimming with people. One of the big traditions is shooting fireworks and burning effigies at midnight (or, really, all day). Rather than burning in anger, however, the effigies are supposed to bring good luck for whoever they represent for the coming year (burning away of the old, rebirth, that sort of thing). People paraded around town with plaster figures tied to their dashboard, their roofs, their truck cabs. Smurfs were particularly popular, but plenty
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