Before I get started with New Year's Eve in Quito, let me throw out an enthusiastic "Happy Day of Birth" to my favorite little brother, Josh. He will be...let's see...28 tomorrow! Wow, is he old! Happy Birthday, Porge. I love you and I hope it's your best year yet!
So, on to some pictures of my New Year's Eve. Though staying in the city wasn't my first choice for Christmas break, it did have its advantages. One example is getting to see New Year's Eve celebrated, Quito-style. Here are some pictures and memories of the night...
[editor's note: these pictures are courtesy of Leslie's friend, Rick Sams]
I spent the evening with friends at the Saavedras' house. We did a sleep-over party. Everyone else who stayed has little kids, so most of them were out long before the New Year arrived. We ate yumminess and talked the last of 2009 away. Then, a few minutes before midnight we went up on the Saavedras' building roof to watch the fireworks. It was pretty amazing...
According to photographer Rick, this is a "doctored" shot. This is several minutes of action caught in one shot via the miracle of a longer exposure time.
Pretty much everyone sets off their own fireworks, which is fun because there's stuff to see all around- 360 degrees of light explosions. However, that also means that any Joe-shmoe off the street can set off fireworks. :) Our neighbors set some off that hit other houses and caused us to fear, just a little bit, for our lives. :) I'm sure I've never been this close. It was that fun, sorta scary/very exciting feeling, standing on the roof, watching in amazement.
After watching fireworks for awhile, we left the roof and headed for the street to experience another Ecuadorian tradition: burning the old year. For about a week before the 31st, you can find effigies for sale on the streets. Some look like politicians or other well-known people, but many are just generic old men. Burning the "old year" symbolizes putting the past behind, and preparing to face the new year ahead. The picture above is us getting ready to burn our old year.
Due to the low oxygen content (at our altitude, we enjoy about 20% less oxygen in our air than at sea level), things don't burn as easily here. We experienced this up close and personal as we tried to burn our old year. As we watched and waited, we gringos also watched all the neighbors burning their own old years. Clearly, they knew something we didn't. :)
A third custom here is to walk around the block with a suitcase at midnight. This symbolizes that travel will be part of your new year. Since everyone in our group is living and working overseas, we decided there would probably be more than enough travel in our 2010 without doing a lap around the block. :)
Eventually our old year started burning well. We watched for awhile and then decided that it was time for the first night's sleep of the new year.
Happy 2010 Everyone! I hope this year treats you well!
2 comments:
Ecuador is such a diverse and peaceful country. The weather, the colonial cities and the people are just fantastic. Nothing compares to the landscapes of the Highlands, the lush of the Amazon Rainforest, the exotic Beaches of the Coast and the mystery of the Galapagos Islands.
Great info and fantastic pictures. I would love to burn this last year (though despite it being hard, still thankful for what it taught me and did in me)and you are right...I carry my suitcase wherever I go so an extra block, probably wouldn't be necessary! ha! Love ya girl!
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