Ecuador Holidays

Come along with me and plan your trip to Ecuador according to the cities, dates and months you want to visit.

This country really has a lot of holidays, some are of military type, other of Spanish religious legacy.

There are also Indian celebrations and of course some others are just for the fun of having a big party with lots of people dancing and singing.



Ecuador holidays and the name of each celebration is bolded and the city on which it develops is in parenthesis ( ).

• January 1st New Year's Day (The whole country)
• January 6th King's Day (celebrations in Cuenca, Ambato and Riobamba)
• February 1st Virgin of the Charity's Day (Ibarra).
• February 12th Discovery of the Amazon river (The whole country).
• February 27th Battle of Tarqui a war that Ecuador won against Peru in 1829 (The whole country).
• Also at the end of this month of February, are 4 days of continuous celebration named Carnival where people throws water against each other, in the old beliefs, this has a certain meaning of cleaning your soul and body.

  These Carnival celebrations are one of the most important in Ecuador holidays, the beaches of the country are full of tourists from Ecuador and from all over the world.




• March 2nd Sugar Cane's Day in Atuntaqui (Ibarra).
• March 4th Peach's Day in Gualaceo (Azuay).
• April 19th to 21th Celebrations commemorating the foundation of the city of Riobamba (Chimborazo).

  This is a wonderful date to visit this amazing city located in the middle of the Andes mountains.

• May 3rd Lord of the Good Hope in Checa (Pichincha).
• May 11th to 14th Agronomy and Cattle Fair in the city of Puyo in the Amazon Rain forest of Pastaza.
• May 24th Battle of Pichincha 1822 the day that Quito the capital city, was liberated from Spaniards. (National Civic Day).





• June 24th San Juan Otavalo (Imbabura), Tabacundo (Pichincha), Guamote (Chimborazo).
• June 28th - 29th Saint Paul and Saint Peter in Ibarra (Imbabura) and Quito (Pichincha).

  Ibarra and Otavalo are a must visiting anytime of the year, because of their Indian handicrafts.

• July 11th to 16th Virgin of el Carmen's Day in Ibarra (Imbabura).
• July 23rd Chagra's Day in Machachi (Pichincha). Horses and Rodeo, this is also a great happy celebration with parades all over the town of Machachi.
• July 23rd to 25th Foundation of Guayaquil anniversary, a big military parade is held. Guayaquil is where the main port of Ecuador is located.
• August 5th to 7th Virgin of the Snows Day in Sicalpa (Chimborazo).
• August 10th First Outcry of independence from Spain anniversary 1809 (National Civic Day).
• August 17th San Jacinto's Day in Yahuachi (Guayas).
• September 2nd to 7th Yamor's Day (Otavalo). Incredible Indian celebrations, lots of street dancing and parades. Also a lot of tourists specially from USA and Europe can be found, this is one of the most important celebrations that belong to Ecuador holidays.
• September 18th Virgin of El Cisne in Loja (Loja province).
• September 20th to 26th World Banana's Fair in Machala. Ecuador is the first bananas export country in the world.





• September 24th Mama Negra's Day in Latacunga (Cotopaxi). This is another important celebration in Ecuador holidays, it's a great celebration where people dances in the streets of the city, there are many Indian parades.

  Nobody knows exactly why and how this festival started.

• September 24th - 28th Lake's celebration (Ibarra). This city is known for its wonderful lakes.
• October 9th Independence Day of the city of Guayaquil. A lot parades and street parties all around the city. This city really goes wild in this part of the year.
• November 2nd Dead's Day in the whole country. In this date the Indians of Ecuador carry food for their dead in the cemeteries, meaning that they always remain their dead relatives.
• November 3rd Independence of Cuenca. This is the third city in importance of Ecuador.
• December 5th - 6th Foundation of Quito. This could be one of the most visited and celebrated from all Ecuador holidays listed above.

  Friendly people, bands, chivas (a truck with no windows nor doors, where people in company of a band inside the truck, sings and dances while touring the city).

  Parties and dancing all over the city, tourists from all the country and foreigners have a real great time.

• December 24th is Christmas Day in the whole country.
• December 31st Old Year's Day. In the night most people burn dummies or dolls on the streets meaning that this tradition will bring good luck on the new year.

Ecuador Recommended Reading:

L!VE Travel Guide to Quito, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands This is really a great book! It provides "up-to-date" coverage of Ecuador's most popular destinations. The Travel section provides great information about rafting, climbing, riding, mountain biking and hiking. (Highly recommended)

Lonely Planet Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands This book covers extensively from rugged Ecuador's Andean mountains and the Amazon rainforest, to serene Pacific beaches and the unique wildlife and landscapes of the Galapagos Islands. (One of the most complete travel guides to Ecuador)

More Ecuador Books, Music and Souvenirs

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