Today, I have Effigies, Celebrations and Customs of Cuenca, Ecuador. Also, look at my page Free South America Printable Lapbook and Fun Hands-on Unit Study Ideas.
There is nothing more exciting about moving to a new place than to learn about the culture, events and special days of a country.
Moving here to Ecuador has certainly not disappointed us with learning experiences because we are never quite sure what celebration is going on here.
We find it downright funny and entertaining because we are always trying to talk to the locals to find out what is going on next.
We hear cannon shots (probably fireworks but I am sure there has to be a cannon around here close) on a regular basis and they are enough to make you jump out of your skin when you are not expecting it.
Of course, we all look at each other after it happens and have a great laugh together.
Some celebrations are very different and I find the one for new years day a bit eccentric.
We noticed toward the end of the year that effigies started to go up outside of people’s homes and businesses.
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Then on new years day, they burn these effigies out in the streets to apparently symbolize a new start and getting rid of the bad things in the past.
Seeing the fires in the streets at night was kind of a scary thing because so many of them were going on.
More Activities About South America
- Ikat Weaving and Makana Shawl in Gualaceo Ecuador
- Finding a Home in Cuenca, Ecuador
- Everyday Life in Cuenca, Ecuador
- 5 Things I Love About Cuenca Ecuador
- Effigies, Celebrations and Customs of Cuenca, Ecuador
However, the locals stayed right with them and after it was done burning, the neighbors on our street poured water over them to be sure the fire was out.
Seeing these effigies riding in the front seats of taxis and out on the streets was a sight we were unfamiliar with. We won’t be forgetting that too soon.
Books About South America For Kids
13 Resources for a Study of South America
Add some of these fun books and resources to your study of South America.
An incredible variety of climates and biomes span the territory of South America. As a result, the continent contains some of the greatest biodiversity on Earth.
Rookie Read-About: Continents series gives the youngest reader (Ages 3-6) an introduction to the components that make each continent distinctive and exceptional. Readers will get to know each continents' geography, history, and wildlife. In this book readers learn about the continent of South America, including the geography, native animals, people and more.
A full-color, compelling book for ages 7 to 10 offers a deep dive into the three sophisticated ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica―the Aztecs, Maya, and Incas― through hands-on STEAM projects, essential questions, and loads of fascinating facts!
Why were there more than 3,000 steps built at Machu Picchu? Why did the Aztecs roam Mexico for nearly 200 years before finding a place to settle? How did the Maya study the movements of the stars and the planets? Ancient Civilizations: Aztecs, Maya, Incas! With 25 Social Studies Projects for Kids takes kids ages 7 to 10 on a guided tour to experience the history, culture, economics, and daily life of the Aztecs, Maya, and Incas.
A man, his burros, and his books bring joy to children in remote Colombian villages in this inspiring book based on a true story by celebrated picture book creator Jeanette Winter.Luis loves to read, but soon his house in Colombia is so full of books there’s barely room for the family. What to do? Then he comes up with the perfect solution—a traveling library! He buys two donkeys—Alfa and Beto—and travels with them throughout the land, bringing books and reading to the children in faraway villages.
An Incan boy who tends llamas in a hidden valley in Peru learns the traditions and secrets of his ancestors.
In the sequel to On the Pampas, the author recalls her first year on the small Argentinian ranch purchased and managed by her mother, in an account that includes a visual dictionary of the Spanish words and geographical terms used in the text.
Atmospheric woodcuts illustrate this Newbery Award–winning collection of 19 South American folktales. Charles J. Finger heard the tales firsthand from native storytellers, whose fables of talking animals, witches, giants, and ordinary people in supernatural settings provide remarkable insights into regional values and culture. The first of the stories, "A Tale of Three Tails," tells of an age when the rat had a tail like a horse, the rabbit had a tail like a cat, and the deer's tail was plumed like the tail of a dog. "The Magic Dog" recounts an act of kindness to a stray animal that helps overcome a witch's curse. In "The Calabash Man," the creatures of the jungle assist a suitor in winning his bride, and in "El Enano," a greedy troll's insatiable appetite leads to his downfall. Packed with adventure and full of surprises, these and other stories emphasize the importance of hard work, courage, and loyalty.
In 1911, Hiram Bingham III climbed into the Andes Mountains of Peru and “discovered” Machu Picchu. While history has recast Bingham as a villain who stole both priceless artifacts and credit for finding the great archeological site, Mark Adams set out to retrace the explorer’s perilous path in search of the truth—except he’d written about adventure far more than he’d actually lived it. In fact, he’d never even slept in a tent.
With the memorable characters and plot twists she brings to her best-selling fantasies, acclaimed author Eva Ibbotson has written a hair-raising novel, set in turn-of-the-last-century Brazil.Accompanied by Miss Minton, a fierce-looking, no-nonsense governess, Maia, a young orphan, sets off for the wilderness of the Amazon, expecting curtains of orchids, brightly colored macaws, and a loving family. But what she finds is an evil-tempered aunt and uncle and their spoiled daughters. It is only when she is swept up in a mystery involving a young Indian boy, a homesick child actor, and a missing inheritance that Maia lands in the middle of the Amazon adventure she's dreamed of. Readers of every generation will treasure Ibbotson's lush historical adventure that harkens back to the beloved classics of Frances Hodgson Burnett and Louisa May Alco
Can you imagine living in a place where there is so much water some houses need to be built on stilts to protect them when the river rises? Or where it is so wet that some plants can grow on the sides of trees with their roots gathering water from the air? In This Place Is Wet, you'll find out all sorts of things about what it's like to live in the rain forest of Brazil. Try to imagine living there!
It is astonishing that Simón Bolívar, the great Liberator of South America, is not better known in the United States. He freed six countries from Spanish rule, traveled more than 75,000 miles on horseback to do so, and became the greatest figure in Latin American history. His life is epic, heroic, straight out of Hollywood: he fought battle after battle in punishing terrain, forged uncertain coalitions of competing forces and races, lost his beautiful wife soon after they married and never remarried (although he did have a succession of mistresses, including one who held up the revolution and another who saved his life), and he died relatively young, uncertain whether his
achievements would endure.
Ada Ríos grew up in Cateura, a small town in Paraguay built on a landfill. She dreamed of playing the violin, but with little money for anything but the bare essentials, it was never an option...until a music teacher named Favio Chávez arrived. He wanted to give the children of Cateura something special, so he made them instruments out of materials found in the trash
Mayans Aztecs Incas Coloring Book – Fun And Education For Adults and TeensMake the perfect gift for anyone who loves coloring! Enjoy this Mayans Aztecs Incas Coloring Book for Adults and Teens. Click the cover to reveal what’s inside!About this book:
- 40 original pages drawings of Symbols, Warriors, Masks and Mandalas.
Explore the Inca empire, including how the Incas survived in the mountains, how the empire was built, and why it disappeared.
A True Book: Ancient Civilizations series allows readers to experience what makes each ancient civilization distinctive and exceptional as well look at its influence on the some of the practices of the modern world. This series includes an age appropriate (grades 3-5) introduction to curriculum-relevant subjects and a robust resource section that encourages independent study.
Then, we have never seen so many parades on a regular basis as we do now that we live here in Cuenca. For sure they are always celebrating something here.
[youtube width=”600″ height=”550″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYYlqsWVkF4[/youtube]
For example, a couple of Sundays ago, we were having a nice quite morning, drinking our coffee when we heard a parade going down the front of our street.
I grabbed my phone, hung out our second story window and started recording. Again, I am not sure what that celebration was about, but it was fun to catch the 30 seconds or so as they passed by.
For this past year to celebrate their country’s independence, we saw many new sites. One of them was this bus going by as people danced inside and you could hear music from the bus playing several blocks away.
We were sitting and eating at a restaurant in the center of town when it came by.
Effigies Celebrations and Customs of Cuenca Ecuador
Then right across the street at the same time, we heard a local town musician playing as if he was a three piece band.
Playing for tips, he had a mouth piece, an instrument at his hands and another instrument at his feet. I couldn’t grab a picture of his feet but it was a cool sound coming from all his instruments.
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Too, because Cuenca is a place for art, many of the celebrations and events are a time to display beautiful and unusual artwork.
Then, I would like to say that you only see cuy (guinea pig) and pigs roasting at special times and celebrations, but these are common sights as you roam the streets.
One day I will be brave enough to try some of it.
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We just found out this week that the next celebration coming up has to do with Carnival and is water drenching.
Apparently the whole town becomes involved in a “war zone” of some kind as buckets of water and water balloons are thrown at you.
No one is spared and especially gringos get targeted.
I think I will be sticking around closer to the house this week.
The folks here in Cuenca are the most fun loving and celebrating anything type of folks.
It sure has made for a lively stay so far.
As we keep reading and learning I am sure we will understand way more about their special days and celebrations but we are loving some of the lively entertainment now.
