History of Carnival in Ecuador

The historian Rodolfo Perez Pimentel talk that no records on this celebration in newspapers of the time, 1860. "While in Guayaquil people used to moisten with water in Sierra played with flour," says Perez. Around 1900-1940, bill, cooks accustomed to pierce the shells of the eggs to keep them to the carnival and so cologne or fill them with colored wax and seal with water, these were then thrown in the middle of the celebration.

"Gentlemen 'assaulted' houses of the ladies and were throwing the shells; they, in turn, they threw water in containers at the end all wet arming party houses or binge, "he says. Another custom among the lower classes was the Feast of broken rice, so named because after the games and the election of the carnival queen was served with rice prepared watery grain match.

In the Sierra, the celebrations even started a month earlier, but it was from Ramon Castro dictatorship Jijón (1963) it was decided to modify this habit adopting Mass carnivals parade of floats and instead of throwing water flowers, practice then moved to Guayaquil.

In the Andean region it is also linked to the indigenous party to the solar year or Huatay Paucar (Pawkar ...) one of the four largest of the year linked to agricultural practices, cooperative work, the relationship with the land and religiosity expressed with these elements. Carnival of the mestizos, however, ends with the beginning of Lent. In the city there is now a devotion to the Child Jesus and the masses multiply on the eve of the carnival, it takes hold the call priostazgo also singing the songs and play with dust and water are conserved.