Ano Viejo

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We spent the new year with friends from SAE. In Ecuador, the celebration is to recognize the past year - accomplishments and happiness, as well as failures and upsets. Effigies of disliked people are made with notes listing the failures of the past year and burned at midnight. One of the best parts is walking around town the week prior to the 31st and seeing the effigies in front of all the stores and attached to the front of cars. Most effigies have masks of "bad" people including: Sadam Hussein, President Bush, Osama Binladen, and more.

There is a giant show on Avenue Amazonas near our house. We made effigies at SAE, walked up and down Amazonas, burned our effigies at midnight, and went dancing afterward (until 4 AM!).

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Photos

Stage of Effigies
Like a parade - crowds of thousands of people walk up and down Amazonas Avenue listening to music, looking at the stages of effigies, and eating street food. It was a great night full of energy.

Cooperative Construction of Effigies
It was a enjoyable process to make the effigies with friends, to post our regrets together, and celebrating the disappearance of those regrets at midnight.

Janel Making Our Effigy
Lots of newspaper, safety pins, a panty hose for the head, and some yarn hair.

We loved our effigies
We made two effigies. Kerensa worked on this one with Angie and Janel.

Attaching the Head
Kerensa, Janel and Peter

Friends with Effigies
Kerensa, Peter, Christina, Angie (back row)and Janel, Monika, and Tony (Front Row)

Walking Downtown
We get many stares because we are extranjeros, but we were really turning heads carrying our effigies down the street.

Burning Effigies at Midnight
There were street fires everywhere. It looked like a scary scene from a riot.

Peach Wine from the Box
Not so bad in Ecuador - Need to ask Janel.

Celebrate Good Times!
It is kind of mix between 4th of july, halloween and new years. We have lots of fireworks to buy, masks and various head/face decorations to wear, and lots of music to enjoy.

Joe and Sparklers
Joe really liked the fireworks.