Some of my mom’s favorite stories to tell are those of her New Year’s Eve celebrations in Ecuador. I didn’t really understand what all the hubbub was until I actually got to experience the holiday there a couple of years ago.

I remember being especially fascinated when she talked about the burning of life-size papier-mâché dolls known as los años viejos. Their name directly translates to English as “the old year.” Traditionally, the doll would be made simply, filled with sawdust and newspapers, and dressed in old, raggedy clothes the family didn’t want or could wear anymore. The scarecrow-looking doll would be a symbol for all that the past year had brought to their lives, particularly all of the negativity. And at midnight, it would all be gone. It was the literal way of bringing the expression “out with the old and in with the new” to life.

Making the dolls

The traditional años viejos

Until recently, most families would make their dolls together, sometimes beginning the process as early as June. First, they would construct the actual doll, then they paint it, leave it to dry, and finally, dress it. However, more and more the tradition has become commercialized and people have opted to purchase un año viejo from a professional artisan. People can even enter competitions and win significant monetary prizes specifically for these dolls. If you’re less artistically inclined, you can just go and pick up the doll versions for all of your favorite TV or movie characters like Bart Simpson or the Power Puff girls. You could even buy your personal soccer-playing Cristiano Ronaldo doll, and place him alongside the country’s the doll of long-term president Rafael Correa.

Players from the Ecuadorian National Soccer Team and a Centaur

Regardless of what you buy, or make, the tradition has been shifting to become less a way of dispelling the negativity of the past and to become more of a celebration of the incredibly detailed and amazing handiwork of these dolls. In other words, it’s becoming a way to focus on the positive that the new year will bring. And that’s unifying, at least. It also has spread from being solely a local tradition in the coastal city of Guayaquil, to being a national tradition. With a country that has become almost as divided over their president’s politics as the United States in this past election, Ecuador can use any way to remain connected with each other, regardless of what their political views are, what region they come from, or how much money they make a month.

On the other hand, because of this commercialization, the types of dolls that you can get for your home and family have become a marker for socio-economic class. For instance, the larger the doll you can purchase will usually indicate a greater degree of wealth. Many families still opt to make their own dolls, whether because they cannot afford to buy one already made or just because they want the experience of making one. When nighttime strikes and everyone brings their dolls out from their homes, it seems everyone is watching out for whose doll will outshine who.

The Terminator

Another way that the tradition has changed has been due to the laws that have been passed on where you can burn these dolls. In the past, people would simply burn them outside of their home but the debris and gunpowder that would be left behind on the streets became too much of a danger for both pedestrians and drivers. Of course, the act of burning these dolls themselves should be handled with lots of care (sorry kids!). Now, people have to lug their dolls and burn them communally in a field, park, or other large area designated for this purpose. And it’s mostly done by people who have been doing this practice for years.

The burning of el año viejo

People also light up fireworks and firecrackers along with their dolls. Starting around dinner time – and in Ecuador, this means 8pm or later -- constant booming sounds can be heard. At home, people eat a feast that usually includes relleno (stuffing), ensalada rusa (potato salad), arroz navideño (mixed rice), and a choice of roasted meat like pernil (pork). But as soon as 11pm hits, everyone makes their way to these fields with the dolls all set up and ready to put ablaze. Music plays, and people continue eating and dancing as they eagerly await the spectacle about to take place. Suddenly, the countdown begins and it begins.

To say that I had never experienced anything like it is to say the least. The palpable heat from the massive fire radiated all over my body combined with the humid, over-100-degree weather and was almost too much for the New Englander in me. Somehow I managed to stay put through the heat and watch as the Hulk, Batman, politician Alvaro Noboa, Cinderella, and a couple of minions went up in flames. Needless to say, it was worth it.

Burning the dolls at Salinas Beach

Other New Year’s Eve traditions include eating las doce uvas representing each month of the coming year. You can think of good intentions and wishes for each month: think 12 New Year’s resolutions. This is supposed to bring you lots of good luck, so I never miss this tradition. You can also clean your home completely until you have zero dirty laundry and dirty dishes, and only squeaky clean floors. Superstitions about getting rid of negative energy aside, it’s a perfect way to motivate you into cleaning! Add to these methods wearing red underwear for love or yellow underwear for prosperity and you’re officially on your way to having a great year.

Happy New Year!