“I forgot to buy my underwear,” says my Ecuadorian sister, clearly agitated by her forgetfulness, while showing us her new dress for New Year’s Eve.
It’s Dec. 30 and we are eating our breakfast and drinking coffee around the table.
“Have you decided if you’re going to buy red or yellow underwear?” my Ecuadorian mother asks me while she looks at me over her hard-boiled egg.
I looked at her, a little unprepared and wondered why these women were discussing with me what kind of underwear I was going to buy. “Um, I’m not sure … I guess I’m buying a new pair of underwear for something?” I ask them genuinely confused as I recall that earlier in the week I had seen a woman pushing a cart full of previous red and yellow clothes through the park, a strange lack of variety I thought at that moment.
They look at each other and the two laugh with innocent laughter that the Ecuadorians do when the gringos have no idea what is happening.
My Ecuadorian sister explains that the Ecuadorian tradition during the holidays is that we wear red or yellow underwear. Red undergarments supposedly bring passion and romance in the next year and the yellow promises fortune or money.
“I cannot decide, so I’ll probably just take the two,” she tells me. “Just to be sure.”
I was entertained by this cool tradition, but it comes as no surprise that South America would keep some strong traditions for the New Year as they do with most other celebrations. But now I needed to know what else Ecuador was doing to celebrate the arrival of the New Year.
“Oh, New Year in Quito is so much fun!” my Ecuadorian mother shouted at me. “But if you want to do it right, you do not have much time to prepare,” she added.
Thus, my family proceeded to explain to me with enthusiasm the traditions of Noche Vieja de Quito.
First, a woman’s outfit must be carefully groomed. Red lingerie should be worn if one desires romance in the New Year, and yellow underwear if one is waiting for money to come her way. And once you have your underwear chosen, one should choose a new pair of socks or pantyhose to complete the look.
The next tradition is that the “año viejo” must be created … and then burned in the streets of midnight. An “año viejo” is a handmade doll, which is usually made with papier mache or with old clothes and stuffed with newspaper. They are finished with a hand-painted mask, usually with an innocent face of an animated character, such as Mario or Hulk. Or for those who are really waiting for a change in the New Year, they put the face of someone they would like to erase from 2017. Something like a voodoo doll. For example, with the presidential election arriving here fast in Ecuador, many families did not hesitate to paint in the face of the current and unpopular president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa. To my surprise, I could see some “años viejos” with the face of our President-elect Donald Trump. In the days leading up to the celebration, the “años viejos” can be seen tied to the fronts of cars, placed in front of homes, and sold in almost every street. Families burn their dolls at midnight on Dec. 31, as a strong ritual to get rid of the old and make room for the new.
Ecuador is a strong country in traditional values, and the New Year is typically celebrated with the whole family. In contrast to the United States, where most Americans gather a little before midnight to drink champagne and watch the ball fall, in Ecuador the whole family gathers for a dinner that ends on the street at midnight to burn “años viejos” under a beautifully lit Quito sky with fireworks from all directions. Families typically jump on their “años viejos” three times, for good measure, and run around the neighborhood with suitcases in hand to bring travel and adventure in the next year.
But the night does not close with the stroke of midnight — it just begins. Parties fill streets, restaurants and clubs beginning at 1 a.m. and last until 7 a.m.; many parties serve breakfast before they close. Ecuadorians not only greet the New Year when it arrives at midnight, but they receive it with dances and jubilees.
After learning about the traditions here, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to experience a tradition completely different from mine. Normally I would prepare to go to a party with some friends or watch the ball fall and eat food with the family as the little ones tried to stay awake until midnight.
So when the end of the year came, I ran around all day looking for the perfect red panties and socks. I prepared a meal with Ecuadorian friends and danced terribly. Then, when the clock struck midnight, we ran through the neighborhood with our suitcases, leaping over the charred “años viejos” in the streets, and dodging the fireworks.
And as we headed down the smoky streets to dance cumbia until the sun came up, I saw 2016 fade away and 2017 start with families dancing, singing and loving each other under the glittering sky of Quito, realizing that 2016 had brought me to this amazing and new place to create a home away from home and full of family and new traditions.