I want to make a blog post about the recent holidays that we have
celebrated here!!
For la Navidad we didn’t do anything during the day, and I mean until
probably 4 or 5 literally nothing happened. At 6 I went to my old host
family’s house and gave the two boys some toy cars and called my mom on
their patio as I waited about an hour to go to a neighbor’s house. There I
played with a baby and waited another hour to go to a party. From 8:30-11 I
watched some very drunk men speak English to me, I danced with them, and I
ate turkey, pork, and rice, out of a styrofoam container. At 10:30 I had to
go because this is when my current host family began dinner, and so they
started the gift exchange just for me. This meant a man standing on a
stage, trying to say some words about me, although he had never met me
before. He gave me a little shaw and ended up driving me home. I arrived in
the middle of dinner, ate exactly the same food again, and then my family
gave out our gifts for each other. A gift, a hug, and a picture. After this
they were like doing some errands, like dropping people off, and I went to
bed at about 2 am. This all happened on the 24th actually, on the 25th
slept in and then went to the park at 5pm. I on the other hand, went to a
waterfall 2.5 hours away with an English teacher and her family.
Though christmas wasn’t a very big deal the Año Viejo was. Here is a list
of traditions that Ecuador celebrates on the 31st.
–
Make or buy a “muñeca” meaning doll, that is really more like a
scarecrow. They can be all sizes but they usually stuff regular clothing
with newspapers or cloth and put a mask on it. Some people have huge
figures made to look like characters from movies, politicians, or friends.
–
Men, and boys, dress up with wigs, makeup, tight (and short) dresses,
usually using fake boobs and butts.
–
These men then go to popular intersections, use a rope to stop cars,
dance and holler or do whatever they want in front of your car until you
give them a nickel or a time.
–
There are some streets that are decorated with a very elaborate scene of
munecas, and full of these men dressed up as women taking up the entire
street.
–
Everyone has little fireworks that they throw everywhere
–
At 12 everyone puts their muencas into a pile in the street and lights
them on fire.
–
If you want good luck you are supposed to jump over the fire
–
If you want good luck regarding money you wear yellow undies
–
If you want good luck with love you wear red undies
–
If you want a year of peace and purity you can wear white undies (not
super common here)
–
If you want more good luck you eat 12 grapes at midnight
–
Oh and of course there are fireworks
–
Then, as in every Ecuadorian celebration, you dance (I know a few who
did not sleep until 11am the next day)
–
One tradition they do not celebrate, is the midnight kiss, I asked one
of my friends if that was a thing and he was very confused and asked me if
you kiss everybody
The next day (the 1st) we did literally nothing other than sleep and eat.
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<drive.google.com/file/d/1rOJ6rSQdAJ3kLH7FQ-GltRFSTBdJ3ndQhA/view?usp=drive_web>
Me and my host sister!
