The straw effigies burned during Ecuador's New Year's Eve tradition are commonly called años viejos.
The Spanish phrase means “old years.” In Ecuador, families and communities make human-shaped effigies from materials such as straw, paper, cardboard, and old clothing, then burn them at midnight or near the end of December 31. The ritual symbolically leaves the old year behind.
Some effigies represent public figures, fictional characters, or events that people want to satirize. Families may also create a widow character, often called a viuda, who performs humorously in the streets before the burning.
The effigies are sometimes loosely described in English as “New Year's dolls,” but años viejos is the established local term. The practice is a distinct Ecuadorian tradition, not the same as ordinary fireworks or the European custom of making a New Year's resolution.