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ano viejo customs in ecuador, new year's traditions, new years eve customs in ecuador, what to do on near years eve in ecuador
With a tiny slice of time, I am again sharing images of my most favorite mascots that dot the Ecuadorian landscapes during this final week of the year.
Each year they seem more scarce, and their absence concerns me. As with flowers, the presence or absence of these ‘ano viejo’ effigies somehow represents the soul of the community. Why are they no longer enjoying this custom in my sweet community?
Vanishing traditions from earlier years
Burn away the old and step into a new year!
Years ago, the town of Jama held competitions, and the streets were lined with highly-creative Ano Viejos! All week long, people worked on their masterpieces, and I loved walking through the neighborhoods and admiring the unique sculptures. This year I spotted two in my walk through town, one day before New Year’s Eve. (I should give them a prize!)
One of two effigies on a back street of Jama Ecuador!
One can find the mass-produced effigies in many towns, but the ture works of art are vanishing.
Below: Many effigies guard the malecon in Baha de Caraquez.
Public art is so important, especially when community projects are included! I paused to read this sign and then laughed! How could I not donate fifty cents so that someone could buy a limonade-ita?! (Bahia de Caraquez)
I asked, “Are you the artist?” “Yes,” he bashfully nodded!
Even if you’re not ready to sculpt a masterpiece, take the center cardboard roll from paper towels and wrap some newspapers around it and form a token New Year’s Eve effigy. Burn it at midnight and burn away the old year, all good and all bad that has happened, and start the new year fresh!
I bought the white one from a young boy for seven dollars. I plan to paint mine and keep it! I”ll make another to burn!
Jama DOES have one amazing work of art under construction. Thankfully it won’t be burned, but this project in progress deserves its own post.
Click your heels together and prepare for an amazing work of art! Stay tuned!
It’s great to be back on the coast! Happy New Year, everyone, and Happy Birthday to my sister Pat!
Lisa/Z
Zeebra Designs & Destinations 
Lisa where are you?! Will you be joining us for New Years? We are full but Pat said you could stay at her place.
Lesli
Lesli >
hey!
i’m about to write you!
thanks!
z
Lisa Happy New Year, my best wishes for you! My “año viejo! will be dressed with our family clothes, people say that this is a good “cabala”.
i would love to see your work of art! are they vanishing in manta?
Happy new year Lisa ! I agree, there are fewer works of art “guarding” homes waiting for that midnight bonfire than the last two years. Haven’t made one yet but we do have our grapes chilling in the fridge. Hugs
feliz ano! i’m sure you’ll have a sweet end-of-year finale!
Happy New Year Lisa! I know you will create it if it doesn’t show up on its own!
ja! thanks! i wish the locals would find more enthusiasm about their vanishing art! thanks, and happy new year to you!
Reblogged this on Living It Up in Ecuador.
Happy New Year, Lisa. This has been a wonderful year in meeting you and enjoying your work and passion for art.
thank you! it’s been great to know you as well, and to see those beautiful wooden creations of yours and to witness your success!
What a great idea to build an effigy and burn it at midnight New Year’s Eve. We used to do this with a bonfire on 5th November and burn an effigy of Guy Fawkes who wanted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London – some people think he should have. We would fill it with squibs that would explode as he burned. Even that has gone with concerns over public safety. Children would load it onto an old pram with a note PENNY FOR THE GUY and hope to get enough to buy some fire-crackers. Once we dressed it in an old suit of mine and it was quite unsettling to see what was effectively an effigy of ME being burned to death! We’re in the middle of a drought at the moment and it would be unwise I think to set fire to anything for fear of bush-fires. But nevertheless we’ll have a good celebration – hope you do too! Feliz año nuevo! Tony
it’s ironic how you can bin a a drought while part of australia is about to be hit by a nasty cyclone! mother nature is at times bipolar…
it sounds like you had much fun for guy fawkes day! the effigies here once had firecrackers, but there’s a tale about part of guayaquil burning down because of this firecracker-filled effigy tradition!
the effigies are often models of some popular character for the past year. of course the president is usually represented as well.
feliz ano nuevo to you as well.. how do you make that n-ya symbol, btw?!
Thanks! – Cut and paste from Word. Yeah poor Western Australia has been badly hit – as we were on the east coast a couple of years back. Probably something to do with el niño phenomenon, Ya never can tell… I’m munching on dried mango crisps sharp enough to cut your tongue, sweet enough to rot your teeth and sticky enough to pull out your fillings – Yumm! Cheers, Tony
I’ve never personally seen it, but I’ve heard many stories of these things set ablaze at midnight while still strapped to the vehicle as it’s being driven down the street. I love the New Year’s Eve traditions in Latin America. On the coast, young men dress up as outrageous looking women asking for tips on the street so they may buy a few extra drinks for the New Year’s Eve parties. I always make them put on a good show for a good tip.
https://playamart.wordpress.com/2012/12/29/new-years-traditions-in-ecuador/
yes, some of the guys are beautiful in their black garb! it’s always great to see happy people! z
Reblogged this on monoaullador..
Happy New Year! And I am looking forward to that work of art 🙂
Interesting traditions and I hope they don’t vanish completely. Work of art? waiting for it! 🙂 Happy New Year my friend! 🙂
It is a clone army of effigies!! Where is Luke Skywalker. Happy New Year Lisa. All the best, BTG
Fascinating! I’ve never seen so many effigies. The Ecuadorians are a creative bunch. I can see why you feel right at home among them.
many effigies found there way to the street/sidewalks during the last few hours of daylight and then into the evening! the effigies have a powerful and positive effect on people. more cultures should adopt this practice!
Happy New Year Lisa! May 2014 give you much inspiration to create beautiful artwork that you share with the rest of your blogger family. Much joy, peace, love, and great health to you in the upcoming year. 🙂
and thank you for taking time for so many personal comments throughout the year – even when your hands were full with so many other responsibilities.
may 2014 be extra nice to both of you. you’ve earned a huge break!
z
Thanks Lisa! We are looking forward to a more restful year. 🙂
Oh no! What’s happened with the Ano Viejos? I made mine today. She’s a darling and too cute to burn tonight. Plus, I didn’t have any old pants or socks to put on her, so I’ll take her apart instead of burning her. My 10 year-old friend helped me make her. I said, “What should we name her?” She thought for a long time, then said, “Laura. We’ll call her Laura after the TV talk show host, Laura.” Haha.
how fun! i hope that you’ll share photos!
there’s a strong chance that i’m about to be without internet for a few days while i wean away from one and am set up with another. hopefully i’ll be able to catch up with the new system!
z
What a wonderful tradition. Like you, I wonder why the lack of interest this year. Happy New Year to you, Lisa.I look forward to looking at life in Ecuador as well as your creative art projects for 2014. 🙂
At the end of today, there were more sprinkled here and there, but the numbers were definitely lower.
Thanks, amiga, and I hope that the new year is the best yet for you and Ron!
happy new year Lisa !
What a nice and “mind-healthy” way to celebrate the old year / new year : each day is a fully new day, each year a completely new year, where everything may happen, where we can change what we decide to change in our life.
Such tradition demonstrates this so well…
Take care and enjoy !
Happy New Year, Lisa.
I love public art, and I agree that it’s sad and strange that this tradition is fading. But it may come back – let’s hope so! Thanks for the post – I didn’t know about the custom and I really like it.
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I’m really enjoying your blogs and photos! Wonderful! ~Mary Anne
thanks so much! i’m hobbling along at a slow pace with the slow internet.. working late night and snoozing in the mornings til faster connections replace the slow ones.
happy new year!
You still have some great muñencos in your town, and I hope the home made ones continue. I feel it here too, that things are getting more modernized or something and overtaking some of the older ways, and I don’t think it’s a good thing.
i fear it’s a dying art, and i agree, that’s not good. i think that community competitions would help revive the custom. hmmm, i’ll have to remember to resurrect that thought around all soul’s day!
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Strange that you should be noting a decline in the number of effigies. For the past two or three years, the numbers of boats in our lighted boat parade have been declining. This year? I only saw a half-dozen in “my” marina, and the number of decorated boats remaining in their slips was down significantly.
I do think that the economy here has affected public celebrations. People aren’t so willing to spend what it takes to decorate a boat in truly splendiferous style. And many people aren’t as carefree as they were even a decade ago. There’s much worry about the direction of the country, much anxiety about the public policies that are turning so much upside down.
I wonder, too, about the effect of technology on communities. When everyone is staring for hours at end at an iGadget, what need is there for getting together with other people to make an effigy or decorate a boat?
Well, musings only. I love the photos you’ve showed us, and intend to keep my Christmas happiness into the New Year. Now, off to see what other art I’ve missed!
Happy New Year to you!
Hi..Love your art and blogs you posted. I also think public art/celebrations are amazing and vital to uplift local communities. I am from South Africa and here as in all parts of Africa, people are all slowly losing important vital parts of their identities to more modern Western ways. I am not an expert in any way, but this identity loss seems to be the causes of some social inequalities here at home. Some communities do not realize the value in preserving their cultures and ensuring it’s intact for future generations. Tourism is very important here, but it is slightly ironic that we (the tourist) now strive to find that very real authentic tourist experience in that real authentic local community that is now fast diminishing. I am not involved in public art much, but am working on it and hope to tie this into local mosaic mural projects in the future highlighting this topic. Thank you for visiting my blog and commenting so in depth on the mosaics. I will look forward to more of your posts in future.
thanks for your insightful reply! you are right; the very reason a unique place appeals to tourists (us!) is why we linger and many times put down roots.. and then we often affect the direction the community/town/city goes, and then we’re upset because it’s not like it once was!
it’s so normal for those who have had little to want more.. and to distance from anything that might label them as poor. i often buy the seven-dollar tennis shoes that the poor wear, and i paint them bright colors and proudly wear them. i love to watch a stranger, wealthy or poor, whose eyes drift down to my shoes.. then back up to my face, then back to my shoes again.. and when they look back at me the second time, i am grinning at them. they grin back with this ‘eureka!’ expression!
it’s our duty to help others find pride in their local customs and proudly display their regional ethnic works of art!
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