Viudas de año viejo

Viudas de año viejo in 2015 in Loja.

Viudas de año viejo (English: Old year widows) are traditional figures who participate in the fin de año (New Year's Eve) celebrations in Ecuador.[1] These are usually men who cross dress as women and go out in the streets crying about the death of the old year and asking for alms to pay for the wake of the "deceased" year, represented by an año viejo (a kind of effigy).[2]

The participants dress up in extravagant and traditionally black costumes, and flirt with passers-by and drivers in the streets with the intention of making them laugh and convince them to give them money.[2] Sometimes, they are joined by people who dress up in other costumes such as devils, clowns and witches, who supposedly represent the relatives of the dead year.[3]

The tradition is unique to Ecuador,[4] and as per historian Enrique Ayala Mora, it is probably the only one of its kind where the New Year's Eve is celebrated in such a away wherein the widows mourn for the deceased.[3] In 2024, the Mexican newspaper El Informador listed it in its list of the strangest end-of-year traditions in the world.[5]

History

The tradition of Viudas de año viejo ("Old year widows") has its origin in later part 19th century. Initially, it started in the form of funeral processions commemorating the year that ended, which was represented by a monigote (rag doll), and the mourning widows played the role of the alleged widows of the monigote. They asked for money with which they then prepared a meal for those were present at the procession.[6][7] This tradition was recorded in 1897 by the Italian naturalist Enrico Festa (fr), who pointed out that during the celebration to mark the end of the year in Ecuador women go on a "grotesque funeral procession".[3]

Over the years, the role of widows came to be played by men, and in addition, the tradition acquired a more satirical and parodic character.[6] Photographic records from the 1950s show that the tradition had already taken their current form at that time, except for the clothing, which was more reserved and that they went out into the streets of cities such as Quito and Guayaquil to ask for money from the car drivers.[8][9] Subsequently, the outfits changed over time, from a mourning dress and a veil to more extravagant suits, with a reason that these helped better to get money from the people to pay the supposed debts left by the dead.[6]

In 1969, the Guayaquil based newspaper El Universo held a contest to choose the best widows, although it was conducted again in the subsequent years. According to historian Ángel Hidalgo, the intention of the contest was to try to professionalize the tradition and thus prevent thieves from disguising themselves as widows to commit crimes during the event.[8]

In the 21st century, men cross dress using colorful wigs, exaggerated makeup, miniskirts, high heels, and use false eyelashes, and other feminine accessories.[10][11] To attract the attention of the people, some of them perform dance and acrobatics. These widows often managed to generate between 50 and 200 dollars in alms as of 2015.[11] Although tradition is celebrated throughout the country, it is more prevalent in the Sierra and Amazon regions compared to the Ecuadorian coast.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Olmos, José (1 January 2003). "Las viudas y lloronas en la despedida del año viejo" [The widows and mourners in the farewell to the old year]. El Universo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 14 June 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  2. 1 2 Arroyo, Fernando (31 December 2022). "Las viudas se toman las calles en Ecuador para despedir al año que muere" [The widows take over the streets in Ecuador to bid farewell to the dying year]. Swiss Info (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 9 July 2025. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 Loaiza, Yalilé (31 December 2022). "Por qué cientos de hombres en Ecuador se visten de mujeres en fin de año" [Why hundreds of men in Ecuador dress as women on New Year's Eve]. Infobae (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  4. ↑ Granda, Amanda (30 December 2019). "Viudas, una tradición única del país en fin de año" [Widows, a unique year-end tradition in the country]. El Telégrafo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 April 2025. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  5. ↑ "Los rituales de Año Nuevo más raros del mundo" [The world's strangest New Year's rituals]. El Informador (in Spanish). 31 December 2024. Archived from the original on 1 January 2025. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 Cadena, Roberto (31 December 2022). "Viudas de Año Viejo en Ecuador: ¿Cuál es la historia de esta tradición que se práctica por más de un siglo?" [Old Year's widows in Ecuador: What is the history of this tradition that has been practiced for more than a century?] (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  7. ↑ "Monigotes, viudas y testamentos: costumbres para despedir el año" [Effigies, widows and testaments: traditions for bidding farewell to the year]. Crónica (in Spanish). 31 December 2024. Archived from the original on 9 January 2025. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  8. 1 2 Minango, Gloria (2010). Los años viejos y las viudas negociaciones del orden sexual? [Old Years and Widows: Negotiations of the Sexual Order?] (PDF) (in Spanish). Quito: Abya-Yala. p. 27. ISBN 978-9-978-67227-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 October 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  9. ↑ Televistazo, Redacción y. (31 December 2024). "Las viudas de año viejo: una tradición que data de hace 70 años en Ecuador" [The Old Year's Widows: A Tradition Dating Back 70 Years in Ecuador]. Ecuavisa (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2 January 2025. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  10. ↑ "Las viudas de fin de año son una tradición única de Ecuador, cuál es su significado?" [New Year's widows are a unique Ecuadorian tradition—what is their significance?]. Primicias (in Spanish). 29 December 2024. Archived from the original on 30 December 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  11. 1 2 "Ya se acerca fin de año y las viudas lo saben" [The end of the year is approaching and the widows know it]. El Comercio (in Spanish). 30 December 2015. Archived from the original on 6 October 2025. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
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