This Sunday, the city of Ambato, 150 kilometers from Quito, dazzled locals and foreigners alike with its traditional Brotherhood Parade, a magical and colorful celebration in which students from various educational centers dressed in flashy costumes performed in troupes playing funny roles.
The huge floats, up to five meters long, adorned with natural fruits and flowers grown in this city in the Ecuadorian highlands, became the focal point of the approximately three-hour parade.
Declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ecuador in 2009, this festival has been held since 1951 as the greatest symbol of the resilience of the Ambateños who survived after the devastating earthquake that destroyed much of the city in 1949.
The organizers of the FFF explained to Prensa Latina that the preparation of the parade is done months in advance and that since August they have started designing the floats and choosing the numbers that will be part of the show, which this year consisted of 1,500 locals and foreign artists. .
The Ecuadorian Carnival celebrations coincide with the ancestral festival of Pawkar Raymi, a kichwa term referring to the flower. In Ambato, the garden city of Ecuador, the FFF therefore regained importance.
Today, the South American country experiences another day of traditional parades, concerts and tourism, a perfect combination for thousands of people to mobilize in search of rest and fun.
The carnival is a respite for Ecuadorians amid political tensions surrounding the government over corruption and drug trafficking scandals, with many calling for President Guillermo Lasso to step down.
ode/nta