End of the Year Traditions Part 2

The other major events at the end of the year here in Cuenca are the new years festivities. Leading up to this day on a daily basis I would hear explosions around the city at least 30-40 times a day. There were loud enough to set off car alarms and where people who simply couldn't wait to light off fireworks. This was a tiny preview of what new years would be like.

Cuenca is filled with New Years traditions and it is arguably a more anticipated holiday than Christmas. The largest feature of the new years is the sudden proliferation of año viejos, giant dolls made from old clothing and stuffed with paper. These are burned to celebrate the passing of the old year. Sometimes they are a specific person, and sometimes they are some ubiquitous pop culture figure. The most popular subject is the current president, probably followed by Bart Simpson or Spongebob Squarepants.

I was planning to get one this year, but I was unsure of exactly where I would be and when on New Years Eve, so I decided against it. I spent the first half of my new years at my uncle's mother in law's house. Dinner there was incredible and I was promised by all the guys how they were going to hook me up with an Ecuadorian girlfriend. This is a running theme in my interactions with relatives.

We were over there till midnight struck. We didn't need a countdown or a stupid old guy on television to signal the new year. It was quite apparent by the sudden barrage of fireworks coming from every direction in the city. Even in the suburbs I could easily look in any direction and see impressive personal fireworks being lit off. The constant din of pops, bangs, whirs, and streaks was cooler than any fourth of July experience I've had.

I didn't take many pictures of this night as I was with family the first part, and intentionally left my camera at home for the second, but I will leave you with a simple video of an año viejo getting torched. In this video you get a light taste of the racket the fireworks where making. This was perhaps 10 minutes after midnight and the sounds where beginning to thin out.



I'm cutting this entry short because I'm being an intrepid blogger and getting you guys photos of ceviche de conchas from a place that may or may not be a good idea. Hope I update again!