Discover the Magic: Top 8 Fun Facts About Christmas in Ecuador You Need to Know!

1. Horse Fashion Parade

Even the horses in Ecuador dress to impress during Christmas, trotting down the runway of the annual fashion parade extravaganza: The Pase del Niño parade is a massive Christmas celebration featuring hundreds of horses adorned with vibrant fabrics and ornaments, alongside children in fancy costumes. Spanish influence from centuries past has also brought along lavish floats, folkloric dances, live music, and scrumptious street food.
Source => nomadbiba.com

2. Effigy Burning & Dancing Widows

When the clock strikes midnight and your unwanted past comes knocking, Ecuadorians have just the trick to ward off those pesky spirits: Burn an effigy of your choice and whoosh, away go your worries! In Ecuador, año viejos – effigies made to resemble political figures, movie characters, or sports stars – are stuffed with sawdust or paper and cardboard and set ablaze on New Year's Eve. This fiery tradition is believed to rid people of their past misfortunes and bring good luck as they jump over the flames twelve times. Not to be left behind, men dressed as "widows" of the burned effigies dance in the streets, asking for money to bury their dearly departed husbands.
Source => moon.com

Did you know? In El Salvador, Christmas Eve is an all-hands-on-deck tamale-making affair, with families uniting for hours (or even days) to craft the perfect masa-filled treat. 🇸🇻 🍴🎄

=> Fun Facts about El-Salvador-Christmas

3. Baby Jesus Extravaganza

Forget wise men, Ecuador brings out the whole shebang for Baby Jesus: In the El Pase del Niño procession, participants carry statues of the infant savior through the streets, accompanied by music, dancing, and traditional indigenous Quichua performances. The largest such event in Latin America occurs in Cuenca, lasting an epic eight hours and drawing crowds from across the Andean region.
Source => baconismagic.ca

4. City Lights, Shy Houses

In Ecuador, Christmas lights are like your shy cousin who only sparkles when they're surrounded by friends at a party: Ecuadorian households tend to skip the lights, but cities and towns go all out, dazzling locals and visitors alike with extravagant displays of festive illuminations in public spaces such as the Plaza Otorongo in Cuenca, Avenida Naciones Unidas near Parque Carolina in Quito, and Parque Sucre in Riobamba. Additionally, they create intricate public nativity scenes, or pesebres, that can be found in shopping centers, restaurants, hotels, and churches.
Source => notyouraverageamerican.com

5. Fiery Celebrity Farewell

Say goodbye to the old year with a bang - and perhaps a hint of arson: In Ecuador, New Year's Eve sees the burning of Año Viejo effigy dolls resembling celebrities or politicians, homemade or store-bought, with neighborhood contests to pick the finest one. When the clock strikes midnight, these effigies meet their fiery fate on the streets, and daring individuals even leap over the blaze thrice for a triple dose of good luck.
Source => laylita.com

6. Caroling Countdown

Feeling the countdown pressure? In Ecuador, they do it with style AND devotion! Ladies and gents, ready your caroling voices and prayerful spirits for a faith-based fiesta: Christmas celebrations in Ecuador feature a nine-day extravaganza called Novena, where families and friends come together to sing villancicos (Christmas carols), say their prayers, and read bible verses around the pesebre (Nativity scene), all gearing up for the grand arrival of Baby Jesus on Christmas Eve.
Source => hispanicmom.wordpress.com

7. Purple Corn Christmas Bread

It’s all about the dough, baby! Say hola to Christmas in Ecuador, where a funky combo of purple corn and antsy fruits bake the night away: Christmas celebrations in Ecuador feature colada morada, a sweet bread made from purple corn, spices, and fruits like pineapple, strawberries, and blackberries, served alongside guaguas de pan, doughnuts shaped like babies and dressed to impress with colorful icing.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

8. Burn, Baby, Burn!

In Ecuador, they really know how to "burn bridges" with the past and make big, fiery deals out of it: On New Year's Eve, they create life-sized effigy dolls, called Año Viejos, to represent the old year and its notable figures, then set them ablaze at midnight while people leap over the flames three times for good luck - effectively saying, "Out with the old, in with the new!"
Source => laylita.com