As the new year approaches, more and more monigotes become available for purchase, but many people still make their own. It's a great family activity.
Ecuadorians generally perform a lot of cleansing rituals. Cleansing the spirit is an ancient practice, long before any colonizers arrived or the borders of countries were formed. The indigenous peoples of the Andean region have a deep connection to the earth/land, historically having believed in an earth goddess called Pachamama, which is pronounced exactly as it's spelled. Monigotes are a more modern cleansing ritual, and jumping through their smoke is part of the end-of-year spiritual cleanse. That being said, jumping through smoke in general is an older tradition here in Ecuador.
Cleansing traditions called limpias (limp-ee-yas) in Ecuador are often very connected to the environment. In some places in the mountains, there are still sacred pools and rivers, where people bathe on solstices or full moons. On the Ecuadorian coast, Palo Santo (holy wood) grows, which can be burned and used in rituals. Although monigotes themselves aren't specifically tied to the environment, the act of cleansing oneself can be. In fact, some tourists come all the way to Ecuador specifically to cleanse their spirits in this beautiful country. I've never done anything like it before, but on New Year's I jumped through the fire of a monigote like everybody else. I loved the feeling of landing both-feet-down into a new year. This culture and this environment are very different from my home, but I'm so glad that I took the leap.
