Ecuador Folklore festivals

Ecuador offers lively festivals throughout the year. Many towns have unique celebrations which display the mixture of Spanish and indigenous beliefs that characterizes Ecuadorian culture. Traditional costumes, fireworks, bands, dancing, and alcohol are common factors in the festivals. Ecuador’s top 12 festivals in chronological order are:

• Amazon Region Day (February 12th) – Honoring the discovery of the Amazon river and celebrated throughout the region with dances and chicha, which is a traditional alcoholic beverage

• Carnaval (weekend before Lent) – celebrated throughout the country usually by throwing buckets of water or water balloons at passers-by

• Festival of Fruits and Flowers (weekend before Lent) – The gifts of delicious fruit and beautiful flowers are celebrated in Ambato for a month preceding the main festival which includes parades, shows, fireworks and a beauty pageant.

• Inti Raymi (Festival of the Sun) (June 21st and 22nd) – celebrated since before colonialism to honor the sun. Festivities occur throughout June and July with the main event on the summer solstice. Celebrations take place in the province of Imbabura and are concentrated in the city of Otavalo. Indigenous groups dressed in traditional clothing ‘take’ the plaza, which symbolizes their rebellion against colonial oppressors.

• Corpus Christi (a Thursday in June) – this Catholic celebration of the Eucharist mixes Catholic and indigenous traditions. It is celebrated throughout Ecuador with fireworks, dancing, and costumes, but most notably in Cuenca where festivities last 7 days.

• Paseo del Chagra (July 20th) – this celebration, which is held in Machachi, begins with an open-air mass and is followed by a procession that includes cowboys, horses, and angry bulls.

• Festival of the Corn Harvest (August 16) – held in Tarqui, near Cuenca. Festivities include choosing the Sara Ñusta (Corn Queen), dances, and local bands.

• Yamor (September 1-8) – held in Otavalo as a festival of the indigenous people to thank Mother Earth for her gifts, especially corn. A special drink is made of seven types of corn. A parade is led by a costumed figure known as a coraza, and the Yamor Queen is elected.

• La Mama Negra (September 23rd or 24th and November 11th) – In the town of Latacunga there is a parade culminating in the appearance of the Mama Negra (Black Mother) who is actually a man dressed as a woman, painted black, and carrying dolls to represent her children.

• Rodeo Montubio/Día de la Raza (October 12th) – a celebration of Ecuador’s Spanish heritage is held commemorating the discovery of the Americas on this day. The celebration is especially important in the provinces of Guayas and Los Ríos where rodeos feature men and women displaying their horseriding abilities.

• Day of the Dead (November 2) – celebrated throughout Ecuador. Families visit the graves of loved ones to clean tombs, place flowers, and share a meal. Ecuadorians also eat colada morada, a thick blackberry and fruit-based drink, and guaguas de pan, which are pieces of bread shaped like babies.

• El Pase del Niño (December 24th) – takes place in Cuenca. The parade of children dressed as biblical figures or wearing traditional dress pays homage to the Baby Jesus begins at 10 am.