Colada Morada & Guaguas de Pan

The All Souls’ Day or “Day of the dead” is celebrated on November 2nd, represents one of the most popular holidays in Ecuador 🇪🇨.

The celebration varies from country to country in South America been the most known internationally in Mexico 🇲🇽 where people celebrate this tradition dressing as “Calaveras Catrina” 💀🌸 as an iconic symbol created in the early 1900s, as well visiting their loved ones at the cemeteries while enjoying the food the dead ones used to like. 

Many of the Ecuador Traditions associated with this celebration go back before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors where the local people had their own burial rites and ways of remembering their loved one that passed away. These customs were adopted by the Catholic church ⛪ in an attempt to bring these indigenous people to salvation. The Catholic calendar 📅 designates November 2nd as All Souls’ Day when prayers are offered for souls that are in purgatory.

Ecuador Traditions

The tradition in Ecuador is a little different, people also pay a tribute to theirs loved ones by visiting them at cemeteries and prepare a special beverage named Colada Morada 🍷 that comes with a piece of bread named Guagua de Pan 🥖; here some information:

Colada Morada

The Colada Morada 🍷 (spiced berry and purple corn drink) is probably the most common tradition related to the “Día de Los Difuntos”. This thick, fruit-filled drink gets its purple color from a mixture of fruits and purple corn flour. It has a unique taste from the different spices added. 

The exact preparation varies by family 👪 and region 🇪🇨. Some serve it hot or warm; others prefer it chilled. The Colada Morada was traditionally used during the burial rites for the dead. It apparently started as a mixture of cornflour, potatoes, beans, peas, cabbage, achiote, and llama blood that has evolved into the fruit version popular today.

Now every November 2nd, thousands of people bring this purple drink to the graves of their dead loved ones. One website called it “Ecuador’s Eggnog”, because of its popularity and the fact that it is typically only available during the season around the November holiday. 

Guaguas de Pan

The Guaguas de Pan. “Guagua” is the Quichua word for baby 👶, so this is translated as “Bread Babies.” 🥖👶 The indigenous people of Ecuador traditionally left these at the burial site when someone died to mark the grave and to give the dead one food to eat.

In the early 19th century the Catholics adopted this custom, but the “Guaguas” wasn’t edible. They were made specifically to decorate the graves. 

Today every bread shop in the country sells “Guaguas” in the days leading up to the “Day of the Dead”. They are usually shaped like swaddled babies and decorated with colored icing. Some are filled with jelly. 

As you can see Ecuador 🇪🇨 is a country that not only offers some of the most worldwide spectacular natural highlights, also offers cultural and local traditions to travelers. 

Come to Ecuador and discover a new way to travel… 

📌 Discover more interesting information before your next trip to Ecuador 🇪🇨! Click here.

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