Ecuador is a country that certainly does not shy away from a party or celebration. Indeed, a month rarely passes without a major festival or a long weekend arising. Due to the fact that Ecuador is over 90% Roman Catholic, most of the country’s major celebrations follow the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. But as it is a country of indigenous people, the holidays are celebrated in a unique Indian way with amazing spirit hardly found elsewhere in the world. Boasting the year’s most extravagant festivities, these holidays can often be celebrated by indigenous highland villages with non-stop fiestas, drinking, dancing and ancient rituals giving a distinctly Indian feel to Catholic holidays.
We would be delighted to organize your holiday in Ecuador and in order to help you to plan your trip we have provided you with the list of the main yearly fiestas.
New Year’s Day
Three Kings Day
Carnival
Celebrated just before Lent, Carnival is the ultimate party in the Catholic nations of Latin America. Celebrations here include waterfights and lavish parades. Carnival can best be enjoyed from Ambato, where the famous fruit and flower parade takes place.
The dates are changed annually according to the religious calendar. Carnival is always celebrated as an extended weekend prior to Ash Wednesday.
Religious processions and an endless supply of fanesca (a delicious typical stew eaten throughout the week) mark Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.
Battle of Pichincha
Military and civilian parades show the nation’s pride of the day in 1822 when the country’s most important battle in the war for independence from Spain was fought.
Corpus Cristi
Usually celebrated on the 9th Thursday after Easter, this religious holiday/traditional harvest celebration of the highlands includes ceremonies and dancing.
Saint John the Baptist
Celebrations in Otavalo and the surrounding highland communities.
Saints Peter and Paul
Celebrations in Otavalo and the surrounding highlands communities.
Simón Bolivar´s Birthday
A nationwide celebration of the birthday of South America’s greatest liberator.
Founder´s Day, Guayaquil
Guayaquil's biggest party is underway as the city shuts down for two days to celebrate Simón Bolivar's birthday and the foundation of Ecuador’s most populous city.
Quito Independence Day
Various harvest festivals throughout the country.
Our Lady of Mercy Festival (Latacunga)
Parades and parties follow religious processions.
Guayaquil Independence Day
Once again, Guayaquil combines holidays (Independence Day and Columbus Day) to ensure a multi-day festival.
Columbus Day
Also known as “Dia de la Raza” (Day of Race), Columbus Day celebrates the day in 1492 when Christopher Columbus (Cristobal Colon) first set foot on American soil, specifically on the Dominican Republic.
Fiesta del Yamor
An annual festival in the highlands town of Otavalo.
All Saints´Day
All Soul’s Day, also known as “Day of dead”
All Soul’s Day is a day during which families visit cemeteries to dance, drink, eat and leave flowers and other offerings for deceased friends and relatives in a convivial ceremony designed to celebrate the lives of those who have passed on.
Cuenca Independence Day
The culmination of three days of festivities, this is the final day of Cuenca´s biggest annual celebration.
Latacunga Independence Day
Founder´s Day, Quito
The air in Quito takes on a more festive spirit throughout the first week of December as Quiteños take in bullfights, watch parades, attend street dances, and ride around Quito atop Chivas (open-air buses complete with live music and drinks). Also known as “Dias de Quito” (Quito’s Days), this week, in reality, is just the opening act to a month-long gala for many.
Christmas Eve
Year´s end Celebrations
Starting with the Day of the Innocents, the entire nation symbolically prepares to enter a new year by burning human figurines in the streets.
The opportunity witness the solar effects
The sun, source of all life on the planet, has been worshipped throughout history. The Incas and the indigenous cultures of the Andes that preceded them were no exception and adored INTI, the Sun-god. As agrarian cultures, they also developed a sophisticated knowledge of the heavens. In Quito the pre-Incan cultures developed this knowledge aided by the clear landmarks surrounding the city: the Pichincha volcano above, the Antisana to the southeast and Cayambe to the northeast, almost precisely on the equatorial line. That is why Quito is considered the best natural observatory on the planet, where both the northern and southern hemispheres can be observed.
Small wonder that even nowadays, there are still many historical sites, which are aligned with the sun’s rays during the solstices, each one being different. The following holiday represents the most important solar festival in Ecuador.
21 June, Inti Raymi, the solstice, has enjoyed something of a revival in recent years. Ceremonies are held at archaeological sites such as Ingapirca and Cochasqui, as well as in native communities like Otavalo and Cotacachi. Inti Raymi often merges with San Juan Bautista on the 24th of June, the main festival of the Otavalo valley. For an entire week, the local men dress up in a variety of costumes and dance constantly, moving from house to house. The celebration begins with a ritual bath in the Peguche waterfall (a personal spiritual activity, best performed without cameras!). There are bullfights in the plaza and regattas on Lago San Pablo. In Otavalo indigenous families have costume parties, that at times spill over onto the streets.
With expert advice from our guides you can get closer to understanding the beauty of nature.
Easter and Holy week
December 6