Carnaval in Ecuador

CARNAVAL. In Ecuador, this four day celebration of the beginning of Lent (known to us as Mardi Gras) is the most exciting holiday of the year. From Saturday to Tuesday, vibrant parades and festivals unique to each city and town bring everyone out to the streets to eat, drink, and be merry. But what kind of celebration would it be without a few hundred water balloons? A prominent Carnaval tradition is to throw water at anyone and everyone – if you’re lucky. Depending on where you are in the country, eggs, flour, and paint are often substituted for water balloons. The youth of Ecuador begin to mobilize in the beginning of February, staking out on rooftops and sidewalks, and by the end of the month you can expect to be soaked anytime you set foot outside. In the weeks leading up to Carnaval, a palpable undercurrent of anxiety can be felt amongst adults during previously mundane activities such as walking to lunch or to the market. Our staff here in Riobamba suffered a few casualties: Alex took a bucket of water to the head from a rooftop, Adri was nailed in the back while attempting to flee in 3-inch heels, and I was chased and eventually cornered and soaked by a small army of boys. At the pinnacle of the Riobamban youth’s reign of terror, we just barely avoided a bucket of paint and flour, which was thrown from the back of a moving truck and missed us by inches.

Aside from the unsettling feeling of being hunted in the streets and the bruises from some of the more aggressive water-balloon launchers, Carnaval is a fun-filled time of celebration to precede the forty days of deprivation that Catholics observe prior to Easter. Alex and I took advantage of the four day weekend and went on a jungle tour through the Amazon, which was beyond incredible! Rainforest hikes, swimming in a river with piranhas and alligators, and playing with monkeys in the heart of the jungle (our lodge was two hours away from the nearest town by canoe) were just some of the highlights.

Ciao,

Jessie, Intern, Spring 2011