3- POPULAR HOLIDAYS We have a lot of popular holidays related to the cycles of sowing and harvesting (Inti Raymi, Mama Negra or Corpus Christi), civic dates (foundation of Guayaquil, Quito or Cuenca) or with the sacred history and the rituals related to the Church (Holy Week, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Day of Death and Carnival). Popular festivals are celebrated with variations in each region and combine indigenous and black traditions, Hispanic customs and practices, mestizo elements, mass culture and entertainment. Carnival, for example, is known in Ambato as "Fiesta de las flores y las frutas" and is celebrated with floats and parades. The queen of the Carnival is elected and decorations and costumes are made with the fruits of the region. In Guaranda, on the other hand, the party brings together popular music bands. They dance in the streets and play games with water, flour, eggs and achiote. In all the country the “Año Viejo” is burned. The character embodies, according to some, the negative and bad things of the year. In the Andean region, people use old clothes stuffed with sawdust, newspaper or rags. In some cities of the Coast, the doll is made of wood and paper, and it represents not only political figures, but also sports, films and television figures Another traditional festivity is the Day of the Dead, when relatives visit their dead people in the cemetery. Common food is “colada morada” with “guaguas de pan”. In some sectors of the Andean region, maintain the habit of carrying food to the cemetery.
