Ecuador: Facts & Stats

CULTURE

Traditions:

The first thing to realize about Ecuadorian culture is that it is not one single culture. Instead it is a whole range of cultures mingled together, representing every level of this very stratified community.

Many ecuadorians dress differently according to the place or region they live. Through out history, women were the ones who had to stay at home while their husbands went to work. Women had to stay at home to do the chores and take care of the children and serve their husbands. Today, that has changed in Ecuador. In Ecuador it is reversed. The woman now go to work and most men stay at home to take care of their children.

The Afro-Ecuadorians that are present in Ecuador today are famous for their marimba music and many music and dance festivals.

Celebrations:

• January 1st New Year's Day (The whole country)
• January 6th King's Day. There are celebrations in the cities of Cuenca, Ambato and Riobamba
• February 1st Virgin of the Charity's Day (Ibarra).
• February 12th Discovery of the Amazon river (The whole country).
• February 27th Battle of Tarqui a war that Ecuador won against Peru in 1829 (The whole country).
• March 2nd Sugar Cane's Day in Atuntaqui (Ibarra).
• March 4th Peach's Day in Gualaceo (Azuay).
• April 19th to 21th Celebrations commemorating the foundation of the City of Riobamba (Chimborazo Province).
• May 3rd Lord of the Good Hope in Checa (Pichincha).
• May 11th to 14th Agronomy and Cattle Fair in the city of Puyo in the Amazon Rain Forest of Pastaza.
• May 24th Battle of Pichincha 1822 the day that the City of Quito was liberated from Spaniards. (National Civic Day).
• June 24th San Juan Otavalo (Imbabura), Tabacundo (Pichincha), Guamote (Chimborazo).
• June 28th - 29th Saint Paul and Saint Peter in Ibarra (Imbabura) and Quito (Pichincha).
• July 11th to 16th Virgin of el Carmen's Day in Ibarra (Imbabura).
• July 23rd Chagra's Day in Machachi (Pichincha). Horses and Rodeo, this is also a great happy celebration with parades all over the town of Machachi.
• July 23rd to 25th Foundation of Guayaquil, a big military parade is held. The City of Guayaquil is where the main port of Ecuador is located.
• August 5th to 7th Virgin of the Snows Day in Sicalpa (Chimborazo Province).
• August 10th First Outcry for Independence from Spain anniversary 1809 (National Civic Day).
• August 17th San Jacinto's Day in Yahuachi (Guayas Province).
• September 2nd to 7th
• Yamor's Day (Otavalo). Incredible Indian celebrations, lots of street dancing and parades.
• September 18th Virgin of El Cisne in the City of Loja
• September 20th to 26th World Banana's Fair in Machala. Ecuador is the first bananas export country in the world.
• September 24th Mama Negra's Day in Latacunga (Cotopaxi Province).
• September 24th - 28th Lake's celebration in Ibarra. This city is known for its wonderful lakes.
• October 9th Independence Day of the city of Guayaquil. A lot parades and street parties all around the city. This city really goes wild in this part of the year.
• November 2nd Day of the Dead in the whole country. In this date the Indians of Ecuador carry food for their dead in the cemeteries, meaning that they always remain their dead relatives.
• November 3rd Independence of Cuenca. Cuenca is the third city in importance of Ecuador.
• December 5th - 6th Foundation of Quito. This could be one of the most visited and celebrated from all Ecuador holidays listed above.
• December 24th is Christmas Day in the whole country.
• December 31st Old Year's Day. In the night most people burn dummies or dolls on the streets meaning that this tradition will bring good luck on the new year.

Alcohol:

The legal drinking age is 18, although it's almost never enforced. At discos, however, you often need to show a picture ID for admittance. Everything from beer to hard spirits are sold in specific liquor stores as well as at most supermarkets and even convenience stores.

Sports and Hobbies:

As with almost all of Latin America, Ecuadorians are ardent fútbol fans, and the national team has shown some successes in international tournaments of the sport in the last few years - for the first time in history it won a place in the World Cup Tournament (the 2002 event hosted by Japan and South Korea). Ecuador achieved a historic feat in Germany 2006 by reaching the knock out stages for the very first time. However, they lost to England on a famous Beckham free kick that put Ecuador out of the tournament. Nevertheless, Ecuadorians are prideful of their soccer team and highly celebrate its victories regardless of how small these are.

Alongside soccer, volleyball is also common, though it is played differently to Western volleyball. The ball is much heavier and there are only three players per team. Volleyball is mostly informally played by both young students and middle aged people alike. Their form of volleyball is called "Ecuavoli" and has more flexible rules. For example, when playing Ecuavoli, you don't have to keep your hands together or clenched.

Bullfighting, a legacy of Spanish colonisation, is held annually at a large festival in Quito, but it's not popular nation-wide. During December, the inhabitants of Quito celebrate its Foundation Day, which includes a grand celebration lasting for days, called Las fiestas de Quito. The high point of the fiestas is the Corrida de Toros, in which internationally renowned bull fighters are invited to show off their prowess in the arena.

In athletics, Jefferson Pérez gave Ecuador its first ever Olympic gold medal in 1996 in speed walking.

Other forms of entertainment popular worldwide are found in Ecuador also, including darts and a variety of card games for adults and marbles, hopscotch and skipping ropes are popular pastimes for children. Carnivals and festivals are also varied through the country and highly expected by the population, usually featuring many traditional games and fun. Some parts celebrate mask carnivals, while others have no official customs, yet all of them are related to a mixture of amerindian and Catholic beliefs.

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