New Year’s Eve in Ecuador is, as it is on most of the planet, a cause for great celebration. We are saying “Adios” to the past year, and “Hola, Bienvenidos!” to the New Year. The day and night are filled with parties, fiestas, and gatherings of all sorts.
We were lucky enough to spend 2010 ringing in the New Year in Montañita, Ecuador. The Montañitans, and the many visitors from around the world are extremely skilled partiers, and NYE is one of the biggest of the year. A tradition in Montañita, a surf town, is to catch a wave at midnight. Kelly and I were not yet comfortable on our boards at that time, so we refrained from joining the hundreds of surfers who bombarded the ocean at the strike of twelve. We did, however, go for a swim, and watching the late-night fireworks over the town from the vantage of the ocean made for a New Year’s we will not soon forget.
This year proved to be a bit different, as we were to be spending the eve of the New Year in Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador with a population of almost 2 ½ million. This was not necessarily our plan, but the cheapest flights to Ecuador from the States around the holiday season happened to be on NYE. So, we flew into the country that afternoon, and did not want to attempt further travel on that day. We had a hostel booked ahead of time and planned to make the best of the holiday in Guayaquil!
We picked our hostel, Manso Boutique, based on recommendations and location. It sits directly across the street from the Malecon, a newly built tourist attraction, consisting of a walking mall and gardens overlooking the river. At almost $40 a night, it was by far the most expensive room we have ever had in our travels, but we decided to spring for it for the holiday.
When we arrived at our hotel, we were immediately amazed at the location. We knew it was near the Malecon, but didn’t realize that it faces it with open balconies on several floors overlooking the area. The next thing we noticed was that there was going to be a party right there. Correction: a PARTY. The entire street in front of the hotel was being set up with stages, beer tents, and speakers. Another correction: SPEAKERS. Ecuadorian style. All of these stages were set up facing the street, making it evident that the street would eventually shut down to traffic. For those who have followed our travels to some of the smaller pueblos and rustic villages, make no mistake, Guayaquil is a city. This street was an extremely heavily traveled city highway, and closing it down for a party was no small feat.
Once we dropped our bags and got settled in the room, we headed straight to the street to investigate. Upon further inspection, the set up on the street appeared to extend for about 10 blocks. Our hotel was just about in the middle, with the balcony offering the best possible view of the entire fiesta. One of the stages being erected was directly below our balcony. Although we didn’t know what the entertainment was going to be, we knew we were going to have the best seat in the house!
The street was also filled with Año Nuevos of all different shapes and sizes.
Año Nuevos are basically effigies made of paper maché and filled with some sort of explosives. An Ecuadorian tradition for the New Year involves the burning of an Año Nuevo. (For a further look into the Ecuadorian fascination with explosives, read my Vaca Loca blog). Traditionally, the Año Nuevo represents something from the past that the maker would like to do away with for the coming year. Ecuadorians, however, have a way of distorting tradition, and the most popular effigies seen are typically representative of the latest characters of pop culture.
I’ve stated before that in Central America, and the few parts of South America I have seen, the hierarchy of pop stars fluctuates between Michael Jackson, Jesus, and Spiderman. Much to our surprise, a new idol has risen since our last trip: Papa Smurf. Not just Papa, but the entire clan of blue munchkins has taken the country by storm.
The newest pop-idol of Ecuador!
We quickly found out that The Smurfs movie had been a huge hit here in Ecuador. A good majority of entertainment in Ecuador comes from the States, and the people here are used to English-speaking movies with subtitles or Spanish overdubbed voices. My theory on the popularity of The Smurfs involves the overdubbed voices – when it’s done with cartoons, no one knows the difference! It is very possible that many Ecuadorians are not even aware of the fact that Smurfs are an American creation. This also would explain the huge popularity of The Simpsons.
As evidence of the latest pop fascination, we could not help but notice that the Año Nuevos were predominately comprised of Smurfs. There was also a large helping of SpongeBob SquarePants, Yogi Bear, and the aforementioned Homer Simpson and Spiderman. I couldn’t find any likenesses of Jesus. These effigies range in size from 2-3 feet high to over 15-foot tall monsters. 
To add to the strangeness of seeing hundreds of paper maché cartoon characters throughout the city, the preferred method of transport for these Año Nuevos is upon the roof of a car. While this makes sense for some of the larger ones, we saw several smaller ones, which clearly would have fit inside, being brandished about atop of vehicles. Clearly it was not just a question of transportation, but of display.
The streets began to be shut to traffic, and more and more people emerged to congregate. We decided, after a long day of travel from the U.S., that a siesta was definitely in order if we were going to make it until midnight. Of course, judging by the size and quantity of speakers being assembled, we probably wouldn’t have a choice either way. Already the blend of music from stages competing to be the loudest could be heard miles away. Regardless, we managed a small nap, and awoke several hours later to witness the Fiesta that was to be!