El Pase Del Niño, Cuenca, Ecuador

Diane: Cuenca has a magnificent parade marking Christmas Eve. The guidebooks say it is the finest Christmas parade in Ecuador. Children from all the neighborhoods surrounding Cuenca decorate horses, donkeys, llamas, and vehicles with an abundance of food, tinsel, and colors. The children dress as Christmas figures or in highly ornamental indigenous clothing. There are bands and stereo systems that provide music as they walk from the outskirts of the center to the main plaza.

This parade has both new and ancient roots. There used to be many small parades in the outlying areas of Cuenca. About 50 years ago, after a local woman brought a baby Jesus figure to Rome be blessed by the Pope, they brought them all together into one grand pageant following this "niño viajero" (translates as infant traveler). There appear to be two primary threads - one celebrating an abundant harvest and the other celebrating the birth of Jesus. They are both readily apparent throughout the procession.

The parade lived up to its reputation. In addition to the horses and llamas carrying their small charges, there were large floats, military vehicles, flatbed trucks, pick-up trucks, decked-out station wagons, fabric-covered cars, decorated baby carriages, and many manners of wheeled contraptions.

Tinsel, sequins, and shiny material were especially popular.

We arrived just in time for a well-disciplined children's marching band. As their sounds drifted down the street, we could hear the music of the next approaching wave of musicians.

For me, the highlight of the procession was the young children mounted atop horses in beautiful costume with food cascading down both sides of the horse. There were chains of local fruits and vegetables. But, you never knew what to expect. I was surprised by 3-litre bottles of soda, animal crackers, packs of Cloretz, unopened bottles of wine, and beautifully sculpted bread. The food amounts to a feast that families would eat before midnight mass.

When we left our apartment, there were four horses outside grazing the grass across the road. Since we live in an urban area, this is not the norm; these horses were waiting to walk in the procession. As we got closer to the action, we passed folks adorning their horses with food.






Part of the food usually included a whole cooked animal. Some had chickens sitting upright behind the saddle with a little hat on.

Some of the young girls rode on horses with their overflowing dresses covering the horse. Some of the boys dressed as the three kings with their robes also overflowing a horse. Their beards were great fun to see. But the girls took your breath away in their spectacular gowns.

One of the most elegant children atop a horse didn't look like he was more than 2 years old. He sat still endlessly as the adults fussed around him. I've never seen such young children sit still for such a long stretch. I suspect that many of these children are slightly sedated.

Many of the vehicles were covered engine to trunk with fruit, flowers, and tinsel. Folks on the floats threw bags of animal crackers and candy out into the crowd.






One of the more garish vehicles was covered with artificial fruit. Up above, the backdrop was the Statue of Liberty and a beach umbrella with sailboats. Needless to say there aren't many beaches in the Andes at an altitude of over 8000 feet. And Ecuadorian migration involves leaving the country, not inviting poor immigrants from around the world. Nonetheless, I heartily approve the choice of icons.

Santa was a very popular motif with both adults and kids alike. But it was not the vision of Santa at the North Pole, surrounded by snow, riding in his sleigh, giving out toys to all the good boys and girls. Rather, it was the colorful Santa outfit mixed in with local dress, Santa surrounded by Roman soldiers, Santa the street vendor, or Santas on a tricycle.

And then there were the angels. There were rows of them. They rode in floats and on llamas. Baby angels floated on their parent's shoulders. Many angels were seen eating ice pops. After a rough and tumble day marching in the streets, some lucky angels were allowed to release their wings to their guardian angels. Some of the angels were a bit hot under the collar. One large color-coordinated group of angels was having trouble hiding their displeasure as they attempted to march in straight rows and columns.

The support structure provided by parents and older siblings assured that the children kept their costumes on, didn't fall off their horses, got enough to drink, had sufficient shade, didn't choke on their bead necklaces, took their naps, and looked great in front of a camera.

Although the sidewalks were crowded with spectators, most of them were keeping an eye on their children or adding to the wildly colorful and festive ambiance, bedecked in their own finery.

And, individually, the children painted a striking portrait.

All in all the visuals were amazing. Costumes here, Santas there, some sheep and their shepherds, a cornucopia of food, Jesus, flowers, plastic grocery bags, umbrellas, and some colonial architecture, with children the star attraction!!

The last float in the parade was sponsored by the street cleaners. With an arc of balloons to match their uniforms they immediately went to work picking up after the horses and the people and spraying down the cobblestone street.