Ecuadorians know how to celebrate, that’s for sure!
By now, six months of my ten-month voluntary service here in Ecuador are over and within
that time I could already gain a lot of experience. Especially because I live in a host family
it’s possible to take a deeper look into the culture and the way of living here in Ecuador. I
was able to celebrate christmas, carnaval, birthdays and other important holidays
(feriados) with them and their family.
In general I have to say that they know how to make a party out of everything and always.
There is always music and food and for sure they will ask you to dance. Because of that
you will immediately feel like you’re part of the family, which makes the ecuadorians such
nice and welcoming people.
Let’s start with the national holidays in Ecuador which are here called „feriados“. They are
way less religious, except christmas, easter, carnaval and the „día de los difuntos“, but
way more historic. There are for examples more holidays for the Independence of a city in
Ecuador because it has a big significance to them.
The biggest holidays of the year are christmas, easter and carnaval. On these special
days it’s common to celebrate with your family because here in Ecuador the family, which
is mostly very big, has a very great importance to them. They are always around so you
also celebrate with them. On these specific holidays it’s normal that they first serve a lot of
food and you eat together and later that day starts the real „fiesta“ with a lot of
latinamerican music and typical dances. It’s also very impressive that everyone
participates, the kids, the grandmothers, the uncles, everyone is dancing and drinking and
having a good time. The fiestas often last until the morning because they are hard to get
tired, believe me.
Carnaval in this case is a little different from what I know from Germany. Here they are
playing with water, foam, eggs and flour. And if you don’t pay attention walking through the
streets when it’s carnaval, you will see yourself wet to the bottom and with a fresh egg on
the head. There are also parades and concerts in which all people gather to celebrate.It
was a lot of fun experiencing carnaval in Southamerica and I can only recommend it
because people are playing, dancing, drinking and singing in the streets together without
knowing each other.
Know there is also the „día de los difuntos“ (All Soul’s Day). This day is dedicated to the
family members and friends that are already gone. On this special day the whole family is
meeting and they are eating and celebrating together. For every holiday there is also a
special food that is served. On the days around this holiday it’s common to make „colada
morada y guaguas de pan“ which is like a hot selfmade drink out of red berrys and a
specific type of sweet bread. It is almost like a tradition to meet with your family on the „día
de los difuntos“ to cook together and eat together.
When it comes to fiestas in general I have a lot to say because the difference to how we
normally celebrate things is huge. The reason of that might be that the people and the
culture of celebrating things here is in general different than in Europa for example. The
moment you enter a room you notice that the vibes are different and that the Ecuadorians
are more chilled and relaxed when it comes to…literally everything.
But one thing that I noticed is that here alcohol and drinking not is such a main point when
talking about partys. For sure they’re drinking and they are as well drinking a whole lot of
alcohol but it hasn’t such an importance and the main point of the night is always having
fun with your family or friends and enjoying the time with them by dancing and singing
together until the sun rises.
The music and rythms you will hear in this country also make a big difference because the
minute they turn up the music to the maximum it’s nearly impossible to not move and
dance because the music is so captivating and alive.
The fact that literally everyone can dance in this country is also important to mention. From
every kid to every grandfather they know how to move their hips and dance salsa, bachata
or other typical dances, it’s very impressive.
If you have never experienced a latinamerican fiesta it could be hard to understand what it
feels like because it’s incredible. If you’re going to visit Ecuador or any other country in
Southamerica you have to be part of at least one authentic fiesta.
Have fun and danceeee!
