New Years Eve in Nicaragua

With New Years Eve just around the corner, I thought I would write a little about the holiday and traditions as celebrated in Nicaragua. I am a Canadian ex-pat living in Nicaragua for the past 2 years, and I never cease to be charmed by the festivities that happen with every major national holiday.

El Ano Viejo (the past year) is a colourful and unique celebration in Nicaragua. Every household will put together a life-sized figure, made of old clothes, with socks for feet and hands, stuffed with dried grass or paper. All over town you will see these figures sitting in front of houses. At midnight on New Years Eve, every household will set their figure on fire in the middle of the street (or dirt road) in front of their house. Burning the figure represents all of the negative things you want to leave behind in order to start the new year fresh with happiness and hope.

Along with the newspaper or straw stuffing, sometimes the Nicaraguans will include some fire crackers - they do love their fire crackers. People will also write down or include a symbolic item of what they wish to be rid of before the new year. The figures are often seen with an empty rum bottle in hand.

New Years Eve in Nicaragua is a very fun (and loud) celebration ... for some other Central American New Years traditions check out this article I've found on this christmas holiday traditions blog.