Like all other South Americans,
Ecuadorians love to have a party and so major holiday
in Ecuador are normally very colourful events, with the
whole country taking time off to celebrate. Also, as a
predominately Roman Catholic country, Ecuador’s holidays
and festivals normally coincide with religious festivals.
The following, then, are some of the major events in Ecuador
to look out for:
Like elsewhere in the world, events in Ecuador kick-off
in January, with the major events and holidays being center
on New Year’s Day and Epiphany (or Three Kings’ Day).
Although, strictly speaking, Epiphany does not warrant
a national holiday, with over 90% of the population in
Ecuador being Roman Catholic, Epiphany (6 January) is
considered one of the major events in Ecuador’s calendar.
Following on from the unofficial Ecuador holidays celebrating
Epiphany, the next of the major events in Ecuador is National
Community Spirit Day (27 February), which was originally
held in remembrance of the Tarqui Battle, but these days
is a national holiday celebrating civic activities and
events.
Simply put, March/April time is possible the biggest time
of the year for Ecuador holidays and festivals. Events
and holidays during this period are kicked-off with Carnival,
which, as a major event in Ecuador, is always celebrated
the weekend prior to Ash Wednesday. Events and holidays
during, and following, Carnival usually means that Ecuador
holidays for the whole week following Carnival, which
itself is a long-weekend, as Carnival is quickly followed
by one of the biggest events in Ecuador - Easter Week.
With such a large number of Roman Catholics, Easter Week
produces an endless selection of religious events and
holidays. Although Holy Saturday is technically the only
national public holiday during this period, as mentioned,
most Ecuadorians tend to take the entire week off. This
time is also a popular time for Ecuadorians to do some
domestic travel - so expect the whole country to come
to a standstill during this traditional time of Ecuador
holidays and festivals!
Although there are a number of provincial events and holidays
following Easter Week, the next major event in Ecuador’s
calendar is 10 August - Independence Day (Fiesta Civiva
Nacional). This Ecuadorian holiday usually includes military
parades and civic events held around the country.
After August, the next national event is not until 9 October
– when events in Ecuador turn to Guayaquil's Independence
Day. Although 9 October may not be considered a major
item in Ecuador holidays and festivals in its own right,
it is quickly followed by Columbus Day (12 October), one
of the many major events in Ecuador and South America
celebrating the day in 1492 when Christopher Columbus
first arrived on this continent.
November then sees a re-emergence of Ecuador holidays
and festivals centering on religious issues with All Saints’
Day and All Soul’s Day (1 and 2). Although, strictly speaking,
only the 2nd is considered a major event in Ecuador, i.e.
a national holiday, with the 3rd being Cuenca Independence
Day, this is once again a time of the year when many of
Ecuador’s holidays and festivals combine to provide a
fiesta time! However, keep in mind, as with all Ecuador
events, shops are likely to be closed during this time.
Finally, in December the major events in Ecuador turn
to the more traditional festivals and holidays that we
are used to in the west, i.e. Christmas Eve and Christmas
Day, both traditionally national holidays, and New Year
(or Year’s End as this major event in Ecuador is known).
New Year is a very important celebration in Ecuador, running
from 28 thru to 31, with the whole nation bracing itself
for the Ecuador New Year by burning human figurines in
the streets. Again, a great time for Ecuador holidays
and festivals to combine into one long holiday – which
is rather the theme of most Ecuador holidays and festivals:
Ecuador holidays tend to occur at the same time, for a
period of a couple of days, when the whole country takes
time off to celebrate the events and holidays in question.
