Burning Bodies in the Night

That's Not Creepy at All

After we got back from the Galapagos, we needed a day of relaxation to recharge. It was New Years Eve when we got back and in Ecuador, pretty much everything shuts down on New Years Eve. There are a very interesting and peculiar set of traditions to end the old year and bring in the new.

Take THAT 2014!

The holiday itself is called Ano Viejo, which means Old Year. As you drive up and down the streets of Quito on New Year’s Eve or even a few days before, you will notice stands popping up that sell bodies. Most of the bodies are saw dust filled scarecrows. Some however are big and elaborate. They all have masks that look rather creepy. You can get some that look like Disney characters, or famous cartoon figures, or anything else really. The purpose of these figures is to embody the regrets, mistakes, and harmful memories. At midnight, everyone goes out into the street, plays music and burns their Ano Viejo symbolizing the end of all of the negative things that happened throughout the year and ushering in a new year.  So the streets are littered with people burning bodies at midnight.

Now, this holiday isn’t without its quirks. Of course all of the Ano Viejos have widows who are

Poor Viudas

mourning called viudas. The widows in this case are men dressed as women. From what I saw, they range in age from about 8-70 and all of them have dresses, skimpy outfits, and wigs. Some of them even put on masks as well with creepy faces or…uhh…male genitalia on them. As you are driving through the city, they all stop traffic at intersections and beg for money while seductively dancing on your car. They will not stop and let you pass until you have paid them; so it’s always a good idea to have a handful of pennies on New Year’s. It’s all in good fun and rather funny, but if you don’t know what to expect and you see a muscle bound man in lingerie with muscles and body hair refusing to let you pass it could potentially be terrifying.