Effigies are traditionally burned in Ecuador on New Year’s Eve to represent the old year.
Known as años viejos, these figures are made to resemble people, characters, or public figures and are burned at midnight as a symbolic farewell to the year ending. Families and communities may create the figures from cardboard, paper, wood, sawdust, or other materials. The ritual expresses renewal and the desire to leave behind misfortune or unwanted events.
The practice is not simply a display of fireworks or a costume parade. Some effigies are satirical, commenting on politics, celebrities, or events from the previous year. Safety and environmental rules can affect how celebrations are conducted, and local customs differ. The figures are often called “old years” in English translations, but the answer to what is burned is the broader term effigies.