Fiesta de la Fruta y de las Flores
Deep in Ecuador’s central Andean Valley lies the unassuming town of Ambato — home of the famous essayist Juan Montalvo and the annual Fiesta de la Fruta y de las Flores (Festival of the Fruit and Flowers). The festival is held in February, falling sometime during carnival celebrations. The festival began after a massive earthquake in August 1949 razed the city of Ambato and killed over 5,000 people. As a way to revitalize the city and enliven folks, the town of Ambato organized the first event in February of 1951. 65 years later, the purpose of the event is the same today: inspiring and celebrating solidarity among Ambateños and Equatorianos.
Why the name? Ambato sits between the volcanoes of Cotopaxi and Tungurahua, meaning the area is rich volcanic soil and home to a large amount of farms and a great diversity of agricultural products. Fruit and flowers are available year-round in Ecuador, but February is when a multitude of fruits are harvested: papayas, moras (blackberries), naranjilla, taxo (banana passion fruit), maracuya, all sorts of citrus, pineapples, mangoes, figs, coconuts, oritos (mini-bananas). Ambato is famous for its roses, which bloom large and profusely due to the nutrient rich volcanic soil.
The festival grows year after year, adding new parties and events, but a few main events remain at the center of the festival. Each year the Queen of Ambato is crowned, where teenage girls campaign weeks before the festival and the winner is crowned during a beauty contest. Queen of Ambato is a much sought after position, as the winner becomes the community’s figurehead and spokesperson until the next Festival of Fruit and Flowers.
We’re talking about Latin America, so you know there’s a drop of Catholicism somewhere in here and of course, it figures heavily in the blessing of the bread and fruit, which takes place in the cathedral of Ambato. A huge mural — usually depicting Jesus amid traditional symbols — is constructed from flowers, fruits and bread. The mural is displayed outside the Cathedral as part of the celebrations.
The Fellowship Parade includes floats that are decorated in fruits, flowers and loaves of bread. Between the floats, troops of dancers from all over world (mainly South America) display their regional dances in a swirl of bright colors. The ronda nocturnal is a night time version of the parade and includes pyrotechnics. There are other events such as bull fighting, food festivals, theater shows, block parties and concerts that happen during the festival.
In 65 years, the Festival of Fruits and Flowers has evolved from a local event commemorating an earthquake to an international attraction, where tourists from around the world flock to Ambato, Ecuador to participate in the festivities. In a touch of tragic irony, Ecuador is having to rally from yet another earthquake that happened on April 16, 2016 — this one 7.8 in magnitude. At least 661 people were killed and 27,732 people injured. The earthquake in Ecuador got a total of two minutes of media attention back in April. It will take years, possibly decades, to rebuild what was destroyed. Please consider donating to organizations that are helping people rebuild their communities and lives. Here you can find a list of which organizations you can donate to that are working in Ecuador.
Sources:
http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/05-01/ecuadors-festival-of-fruits-and-flowers-ambato-ecuador.html
https://awecuador.wordpress.com/tag/festival-of-fruits-and-flowers/
http://fiestasdeambato.com/comite/historia
http://www.ecuador.com/blog/the-festival-of-fruit-and-flowers-in-ambato
http://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/2015/02/15/nota/4560401/ambato-vive-fiesta-fruta-flores
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