Every night during the week of Corpus Christi, the city burns castillos: giant towers made out of fireworks. Each tower burns for approximately 10 minutes with lots of spinning, popping and smoke resulting. And careful here, too! There's not a clear "safety" line... that's to say, you might be in the (literal) line of fire. Beware sparks and firework debris, but be sure to take lots of videos, too!
Fire plays an important role during Ecuador's Año Viejo (New Years') celebration, too. In the days leading up to December 31, people buy or construct monigotes, or año viejo dolls. These dolls are paper machete creations that range in size from normal doll size, to enormous, 2-story-tall dolls. These monigotes are often pop culture characters (politicians, famous people, animated characters), or a representation of someone in your friend group or family. To fund the creation of monigotes, on the 31st, men dress up as viudas, or widows, and run out into the streets, stopping traffic and asking for money. Always have a few coins on you to donate to the viudas! Throughout the day on December 31, but especially as midnight approaches, people burn the dolls in the streets. Burning the dolls represents a cleansing: Burning the things you want to leave in the past in order to start the new year with a clean slate. You then jump over the burning dolls, for good luck. In Cuenca, the city puts on a massive concert in the main square. As the clock tolls midnight, huge fires are started in the street where people burn their monigotes, and release paper-bag lanterns to the night sky.
