As the new year approached, we realized the hopes and regrets expressed by the Ecuadorians were not so different from those of our own countrymen.Įn el Ecuador, la fiesta de Año Viejo es una antigua tradición en la que simbólicamente se queman los fracasos, penas y enojos del año pasado para dar la bienvenida a las esperanzas y resoluciones del año que entra. Even the security guards in our building had an effigy they were saving for a midnight bonfire. Laughter, cheering and honking horns were the sounds of the evening. Walking back to our apartment later that day, we encountered the smoldering remains of dozens of effigies in the streets. As the flames claimed him, we laughed and said we would all try harder tomorrow. I promise to be a good student in the next life!” We pinned our missive to the effigy and took him outside. For my sins my professors have decided to burn me up. I never did the homework that my professor gave me. And so, for them I wrote, “I was a bad student. At the time I was frustrated with the laziness of many of the students in our school. I was elected to enumerate our failings and our resolutions. As our effigy neared completion, our teachers said that we students could benefit from an exorcism, and suggested that we confess our sins and promise better behavior for the new year. A cottage industry existed on the streets for making expressive masks, and at only 99 cents per mask we choose this option. We put a wooden dowel down its back so the dummy could face impending immolation with a stiff spine. We collected old clothes for the body and stuffed it full of crumpled newspaper. The teachers and students at our school teamed up to create an effigy. When my wife and I were studying Spanish in Quito, we had an opportunity to participate in this custom. Although the origins of this custom are murky, many believe it dates back to a particularly virulent yellow fever epidemic that required the mass burning of corpses. Then, to a chorus of cheers and clapping, the effigy is thrown into the street and burned to ashes. A handwritten note is pinned to the dummy explaining why it must be burned and what changes and improvements are desired for the coming year. On the last day of the year, people construct effigies that might represent an irritating person, a disliked political figure, or even disappointment about past mistakes or unachieved goals. In Ecuador, Año Viejo is a fiery tradition that symbolically burns up the failures, regrets and anger of the old year in order to usher in the hopes and resolutions of the new one. The Copper Work Of Santa Clara del Cobre.The Bronze Sculptures of Alejandro Colunga.The Black Pottery of San Bartolo Coyotepec.The Animal Carvings of Oaxaca - alebrijes.Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary Michoacán Mexico.La Alhambra de Granada (ADVANCED LEVEL).

Floating Islands of Uros (ADVANCED LEVEL).

La Sidra de Manzana Deliciosa Tradición.

Asturias, the Natural Paradise of Spain.

Usher u got it bad de que año es