FELIZ ANO! HAPPY NEW YEAR! This has been the most common expression heard on board the Polaris on this very first day of the brand new year.
Ecuador is an extremely rich country in terms of biodiversity. In this case, the diversity I am referring to does not only include the amazing quantity of animals, plants and ecosystems found in our small territory. It also includes a very interesting array of cultural traits and traditions. Both the biological and cultural qualities make our country a very special place to visit and on New Years we had the opportunity to enjoy some of these. After a wonderful day on Española Island, we prepared to say goodbye to the year 2000 and to receive the New Year. A delicious and abundant Ecuadorian dinner was served. This special meal fueled us with the energy needed for the events that were ahead.
In today's picture we see one of the most common and widespread Ecuadorian New Year's traditions. The "año viejo" or "old year", is a stuffed puppet that has deep meaning for Ecuadorians. This puppet is burned exactly at midnight, and with it one is symbolically burning the problems and difficulties that the puppet represents. Sometimes the puppet is kicked and even whipped, and the accumulated anger and frustration are released at the puppet's expense. Famous public personalities that have not been popular or have caused problems for the country are "burned" on New Year's Eve. On every neighborhood block in our towns and cities our people make these puppets. Depending on their budgets the puppets can be small and simple or quite elaborate. In Quito there are "año viejo" contests!
When the old year is burned the widow is left behind. Young men dress up in black like women to represent the widow. On board Polaris we had a hilarious widow. Crewmember Felipe was the perfect widow, and he created a festive mood with his dramatic show. He cried and moaned expressing his sorrow for the year that was ending. On the mainland, hundreds of young men like him played the widow's role this night. Some of them are such talented actors that they stop the traffic and people passing by join in the fun and give them coins to help relieve their "pain"!
Another end of the year tradition is to wear something yellow. We believe that this color attracts money and good fortune. Many of us on Polaris, including the guests, were dressed in yellow tonight. After midnight, as the old year puppet burned, some of us ran around the decks dragging a suitcase. By doing this, tradition says, one will travel much during the upcoming year. Some of us had dollar bills of high denomination in our left shirt pockets or in our hands, hoping to attract money in 2001. And to end the evening we danced. Thus we began the year happy, with high expectations of travel and financial good fortune for the New Year. We burned all that had been negative in 2000 and started afresh. We had an unforgettable experience on New Year's Eve on board the Polaris. As an Ecuadorian, I was sincerely proud to share our traditions with our visitors.
