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Carnaval:

Origins

History suggests that the Carnival celebrations date back to the Dionysian rituals of the ancient Greeks and the “saturnals” (Saturn, the roman God of harvests) as well as the rites in honor of Bacchus, the God of wine in ancient Rome.

The roots of the word “Carnival” come from Latin and mean “Carnem levare”, (literally “arise the flesh”). Passing from Latin to Italian, and modified as “carnevale”, the word then migrated to the Spanish language as “carnaval” representing a frenzy of the body and soul which precedes the Christian “Cuaresma” (Lent), the forty days of fasting and abstinence prior to Holy Friday and Easter.

When:



Carnival arrived in the Americas with the European conquest and since then is celebrated forty days before Holy Week. This feast was brought from the Old World and imposed upon the native inhabitants by the colonizers. The exact date is determined by the lunar calendar with respect to Holy Week. The festivities usually take place in February or March.

Where:


This celebration is hugely popular throughout Ecuador and is celebrated in various forms and practices, according to the region or town where it takes place. The most common form of celebrating involves water and in which no one escapes a soaking. From ancient times, people have used buckets, balloons and other utensils full of water to douse passers-by. Current local regulations now prohibit this “game” being played on streets, squares, fountains and any public spaces, particularly when pedestrians or passers-by are the victims. Playing with water is now only allowed among consenting individuals and on private premises, usually among relatives, friends and neighbors. Several cities and towns still maintain their very special, colorful and original traditions to celebrate this occasion.

Special Traditions

Carnival is a keenly awaited fiesta throughout the country. Typified by great revelry and much boisterousness, the festivities combine unique rituals, ceremonies, traditions and games with typical foods and drinks all accompanied by much noise and happiness in which the common thread is the bonding between relatives, friends, neighbors and even strangers.

Over the past 40 years, since its inauguration in the late 50s, the Fiesta of Flowers and Fruits celebrations held in the central Andean city of Ambato have become Ecuador’s most well-known, albeit most atypical, Carnival event. Established in the late fifties, it is now famous all over Ecuador. At the same time, Ambato became the first Ecuadorian city to successfully ban “water games”. Instead, its celebrations feature folkloric festivals, processions with spectacularly decorated and allegoric vehicles, the blessing of the flowers and fruits, multi-colored flower arrangements, fireworks, beauty pageants, handicraft exhibitions, costume contests, popular music and dance festivals, theater, serenades and typical foods. Bullfights have also become a feature of Ambato’s abundant and activity-packed Carnival fiestas.

Guaranda, situated in the central western Andes, also plays host to another celebrated Carnival festivity. According to tradition, during three days on the second full moon of the year, the Huaranga Indians would honor their Ruler with a feast of songs, dance, food and beverages. Rulers and subjects would use dance as a means of movement while flinging maize flour, flowers and perfumed water (a mixture of extracts from aromatic vegetables and herbs) at each other. This is now Ecuador’s most frenetic celebration, yet greatly popular where everybody engages in a never-ending frenzy of throwing water, flour, eggs, dyes and other products at each other against a backdrop of colorful street processions incorporating numerous elements representing the rich diversity of Ecuador’s folklore. The dancing and partying continues for three days, virtually non-stop, to the accompaniment of abundant typical foods. The emblematic drink of the fiestas is “pajaro azul” or “blue bird”, a powerful, highly-fermented and strong – though pleasantly tasting – sugar cane drink. As the participants succumb to its influence, so their humor and desire for fun increases, all accompanied by the constant chanting of the traditional songs typical of the occasion.

The northern coastal resort of Atacames is home to the colorful festival of the “marimba”. A typical and original percussion instrument from the zone, the marimba is most predominant among the Afro-Ecuadorian population. A riot of exhilaration, color, intense rhythms and dancing, the festival is held at the “Marimbodromo”, a local version of Rio de Janeiro’s famous “Sambodromo”.

In the central and picturesque coastal town of Montañita, surfing contests are the highlight of the festivities. Meanwhile, the beaches and the village bars and public spaces house numerous musical events, usually featuring “raves”, techno music, frantic dancing and tricks involving fire. Further along the coast, in Salinas, Playas, Manta, Crucita, Bahia and most of the coastal resorts, a number of land and aquatic processions take place featuring costume contests, water sports, and all-night beach dances.

In old Guayaquil, in the early hours of Carnival Sunday, next to the image of a Holy Jesus Child, a special mass is held to commemorate the Old Momo God, the King of Jokes. Son of the Night and Dreams, Old Momo was charged with correcting the misdemeanors of humans and Gods alike with his sarcastic criticisms. This folk God is represented by a Harlequin costume, hidden behind a mask while “cascarones” (wax wrappers representing different figures and containing water) are thrown at “rivals” in group contests.

Nowadays, many inhabitants from the larger cities such as Quito, Guayaquil and others, travel to the Pacific coastal beaches and resorts for these three days to enjoy the sun and sea while reveling in the celebrations that each location lays on for the occasion. By way of contrast, numerous other people head for the Carnival festivities of Ambato and Guaranda. Those who prefer to stay in their rather desolate cities during this period often engage in water throwing games, particularly in the poorer neighborhoods.

Foods:



Exquisite delicacies are a specialty of the Carnival festivities, particularly in the Andean region. Examples include “Jucho”, (a thick drink made from cooking pears, peaches, the local capulíes (a type of Andean blueberry) and brown sugar; Dulce de Higos” (a delicious concoction of figs with brown sugar, served with fresh cheese); “mote pillo or mote pata”, a dish prepared in the southern Andean provinces with cooked hammony, combined with meat, bacon, sausage and the seed of a local variety of pumpkin.

Beverages also feature seasonal specialties such as the previously described “blue bird” alcoholic beverage, the symbol of the Guaranda Carnival; and “chichi de jora”, a drink made of fermented maize and herbs.

Games:



In the southern province of Azuay, particularly in the communities of Tarqui and Turi, the Carnival celebrations feature hotly disputed contests that involve conquering a hill or mountain, using a sort of local “honda”, called “huaraca” in kichwa language as the main weapon together with huge hats that function as shields.

For some of the Andean indigenous communities, the “Taita Carnaval” (“Father Carnival”) has its own particular interpretations, traditions, mythology, symbols and rituals which reflect the ancestral world view of the native cultures.

In the rest of Ecuador, the Carnival festivities include parades, masquerades, contests and the ubiquitous water “games”. Convivial gatherings of relatives and friends are also common events in which eating, drinking, playing and enjoyment are the common activities of these days of fun and feast. Relaxing and unwinding act as a form of emotional and physical stress-liberation prior to the period of austerity, fasting, meditation and sacrifice that the Christianity imposes upon its adherents during the forty days leading up to Holy Week.

Sources:



Information extracted from:



www.expreso.ec/carnaval/ambato

http://achiras.net/lonuestro/lonuestro.htm

www.ecuador.es/news/archives/turismo_ecuatoriano/carnaval

www.explored.com.ec/ecuador/continue/boli4,htm

Extracts of book “Viva la Fiesta” by Pablo Cuvi, Dinediciones

Information compiled, edited or consulted with individuals by text Editor