Carnival in Ecuador

Carnival is a Western Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The Latin name of the holiday is sometimes spelled Carnaval, typically in areas where Dutch, German, French, Spanish and Portuguese are spoken. The Italian carne levare is one possible origin, meaning “to remove meat”, since meat is prohibited during Lent. My personal definition based on what I have lived would be a celebration in which people have fun outside and inside the house with family and friends, using water as a main element of this holiday.

When people think of Carnival, scenes of Brazil’s famous Carnival parade probably come to mind, but in Ecuador is not quite the same. In Ecuador, Carnival begins three days before Ash Wednesday (which usually falls in February) and this celebration is kind of letting all out before behaving yourself for the 40 days leading up to Easter. Carnival is celebrated in the whole country, for every single person unless you do not like to get wet or you are sick. The celebration consists of getting wet with water among family or friends, in some places the water is topped off with flour to make you a really sticky mess. Carioca is also an important element, this is a colored foam similar to shaving cream which can be put on the head or the entire body of people who play with you. Tuesday, the final day, is the day where nothing is held back, streets are almost dead, everybody is resting at home, only few people are seen still playing with their buckets and water guns. Carnival used to be a two-week event, but there is a new law prohibiting the celebration weeks before the days of partying, in some places such as Quito (Capital) for those who disrespect this law might go to jail. This is because in past times, there was a lot of disrespect and aggression against people, regardless of their age or health condition. Many teenagers, several weeks before, were already starting to throw water to the people who walked in the streets. Due to that, many people, especially adults, complained to the government asking for the instauration of a new law that prohibits these aggressions. With this new law you are usually safe up until the weekend before Ash Wednesday.

But this is not the only way to celebrate; huge concerts and other outdoor parties are also popular, where people wear special and colorful clothes, which represents the culture and traditions of the place where they born. One of the most famous Carnivals is in Guaranda, located in the Bolivar province. People travel from all around the country to enjoy the colorful and lively parades of this Andean city. In Guaranda, one can experience the unique combination of indigenous and mestizo folk music, art and dance. A different style of Carnival celebration takes place in Ambato, a city located in the Central Andean valley. Here the celebration’s name is “La Fiesta de las Flores y las Frutas” (Festival of Flowers and Fruits) because the floats of the parade are exclusively decorated with flowers and fruits. In the Coast, like in Esmeraldas, Carnival displays the beauty of the Ecuador’s African American heritage. During the parades is common to see dancers wearing a traditional Andean outfit that includes a felt hat and a hand-woven brightly colored lamb’s wool poncho. Every place has typical food to serve during Carnival, but in the Andean region where I am from, you definitely are going to find two kinds of beverages and one typical dish which are quite known. One of the beverages is Chicha de Jora, a fermented drink made from corn, shared for free with all participants of the celebration. The other one is the liquor called Pajaro Azul, or Blue Bird, this is made from sugar cane alcohol and is boiled with a bit of orange peel. The typical dish is buñuelos, or fritters, they are made from a yeast dough with a hint of anise that is deep-fried and served with fig or apple jam. Each year we have bigger parades for Carnival, many of them trying to imitate the big Brazilian parades, but the Ecuadorian traditions of water throwing and partying continue to be the main focus of Carnival.

Carnival in Ecuador is a great and unique experience, full of colorful events, friendly people and a lots of fun in every corner of the country. If you must photograph, consider bringing water resistant equipment or some kind of plastic layer of protection, and maybe, if you do not like to get wet, walk the streets holding an umbrella to act as a shield. No one is safe, especially not tourist, who are the perfect target to play with, but I guarantee that Carnival will be a wonderful and unrepeatable experience in your life.

“La Fiesta de las Flores y las Frutas” in Ambato

Water battles and people playing with “carioca”

Traditional Andean outfit

People in Cuenca playing Carnival on the street

Buñuelos and Chicha de Jora