Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Carnival in Ecuador:
In Ecuador, the celebrations have a history that begins before the arrival of Catholicism. It is known that the Huarangas Indians (from the Chimbos nation) used to celebrate the second moon of the year with a festival at which they threw flour, flowers and perfumed water. This once pagan tradition has since merged with the Catholic celebration of Carnival.
A common feature of Ecuadorian Carnival is the diablitos (little devils) who play with water. As with snowball fights, the practice of throwing or dumping water on unsuspecting victims is especially revered by children and teenagers, and feared by some adults. Throwing water balloons, sometimes even eggs and flour both to friends and strangers passing by the street can be a lot of fun but can also raise the ire of unfamiliarised foreigners and even locals.
Although the government as well as school authorities forbid such games, it is still widely practiced throughout the country. Historians tell of a Bishop in 1867 who threatened the punishment of excommunication for the sin of playing Carnival games.
Different festivities are held in various regions of the country, where the locals wear disguises with colorful masks and dance to the rhythm of lively music. Usually, the celebrations begin with the election of the Taita Carnival (Father Carnival) who will head the festivities and lead the parades in each city.
The most famed Carnival festivities are those in Guaranda (Bolivar province) and Ambato (Tungurahua province). In Ambato, the festivities are called Fiesta de las Flores y las Frutas (Festival of the Flowers and Fruits). Other cities have also revived the Carnival traditions with colorful parades, such as in Azogues (Cañar Province). In Azogues and the Southern Andes in general, the Taita Carnival is always an indigenous Cañari dressed for the celebrations. Recently also a celebration has gained prominence in the northern part of the Sierra in the Chota Valley in Imbabura which is a zone of a strong afro-Ecuadorian population and so the Carnival is celebrated with bomba del chota music.
The origins of Carnival are also shared in Wikepedia:
The Lenten period of the Liturgical year Church calendar, being the six weeks directly before Easter, was marked by fasting and other pious or penitential practices. Traditionally during Lent, no parties or other celebrations were held, and people refrained from eating rich foods, such as meat, dairy, fats and sugar. The forty days of Lent, recalling the Gospel accounts of the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness, serve to mark an annual time of turning. In the days before Lent, all rich food and drink had to be disposed of. The consumption of this, in a giant party that involved the whole community, is thought to be the origin of Carnival.
As I said, we don't celebrate it formally here in Cotacachi but it's a holiday where many people throughout the country travel to see friends or family or just to have a little fun. In addition to many visitors to the city, we also have evidence of it through the actions of predominantly children with their water cannons, water balloons, spray foam, and eggs. I was lucky--I got sprayed with water while walking down Leather Street but I barely got wet so it wasn't a disaster. I had hoped to go out with my camera to see what I could capture but there were a couple of reasons that didn't happen. First, it was my housewarming party time and the more important reason was that while I'm "drip dry" my camera isn't. I decided it was just too dangerous to be running around with my camera and so I'll just share what it was about.
As I said, we don't celebrate it formally here in Cotacachi but it's a holiday where many people throughout the country travel to see friends or family or just to have a little fun. In addition to many visitors to the city, we also have evidence of it through the actions of predominantly children with their water cannons, water balloons, spray foam, and eggs. I was lucky--I got sprayed with water while walking down Leather Street but I barely got wet so it wasn't a disaster. I had hoped to go out with my camera to see what I could capture but there were a couple of reasons that didn't happen. First, it was my housewarming party time and the more important reason was that while I'm "drip dry" my camera isn't. I decided it was just too dangerous to be running around with my camera and so I'll just share what it was about.
Perhaps by next year I'll have figured out a way to get photos without endangering my camera. By the way, the little fellow who ambushed me was good! He snuck up on me from behind a parked truck. I didn't have a clue. I'm glad I knew it might happen because I was able to laugh about it rather than be upset by being attached without provocation. I'm not sure how well I would have done if it had been a whole water balloon followed by a handful of flour. I think they generally reserve that for their peers--I hope so!
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