Quito, Ecuador

El Año Viejo
December 31st
The celebration of the New
Year is one of the most
fabulous events of the year.
The Año Viejo, or Old Year,
represents all that was bad in
the previous year. The Año
Viejo is a dummy with a
plastic mask on its face that
represents some famous
politician or public figure. To
construct an Año Viejo, you
have to construct a shelter
first, most often made from
plywood and covered with
eucalyptus branches. The side
of the shelter facing the street
is open. Inside, the dummy or
dummies repose in a scene
that represents their evil-
doings. Pinned on the walls
of the shelter are messages
scrawled on pieces of paper
that explain who the dummy
is and the injustice or irony
of its actions. Each year, you
can see the concerns of the
country—or at least the
concerns of its political
parties and activist groups—
in the scenes represented by
the Old Years. Weeks before
New Year’s, you can
see street-side stands
sprout all over the towns and
city, selling plastic masks,
dummies of all shapes and
sizes, and fireworks to
prepare for celebrating
the Old Year. By evening on
the 31 st of December, most
of the preparations are done;
that’s when the “widows”
come out. These are
the widows of the Old
Year, mourning over the
death of their husband.
They’re actually young men
dressed as women. They
borrow their sisters’ tight
skirts, blouses, and nylons,
put on too much makeup, and
pose in the middle of the
streets, blocking traffic. To
pass the widow, the driver of
the car must give “her” a coin
or a drink of trago. It’s a
great way for young men to
earn money and have a little
fun, but anyone who wants to
drive the night of the 31 st
must have a big handful
of coins to pass all the
roadblocks. As the evening
approaches midnight,
everyone gathers around
their Old Year and turns on
the closest radio, awaiting the
announcement. They pull
the Año Viejo into the middle
of the street: plywood,
dummy, and all. A bucket of
gasoline is ready to start it
burning. As the announcer
roars the arrival of the New
Year, everyone shrieks and
cheers and the Año Viejo is
lit. In the heat and blast of
light from the bonfire,
everyone gives each other
the abrazo del año
nuevo,or the hug of the New
Year, and wishes their friends
and family a happy New
Year. Across the streets of
the villages and towns of
Ecuador, bonfires burn.
People are happy. The party
has just started, and the
country will be dancing and
drinking until dawn.

Potential activities:
 Prompt: What are your traditions/superstitions during your New Year’s celebration?
o Brainstorming
 Interview a classmate. Ask him/her about their Holiday traditions. Think of all the
tradition and practices. What do you think about this tradition? How do they differ from
yours?
 Are there other circumstance where this occurs. Americans do this during games.
Ephagious…dress dummy like the opposite team and burn the dummy
 Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbGkTkdFNsE&feature=related or you tube El Año
Viejo, Ecuador.