On November 2, Ecuadorians celebrate a holiday here called "All Saints Day" - it seems to be similar to the US holiday of Memorial Day celebrated in May. They celebrate by making "guaguas de pan" - baby breads that are decorated (kind of like the idea of gingerbread men) and a special drink called "colada morada" (literally purple drink). It's purple because it's made out of "mora" berries and has all sorts of spices and flavors in it, including junks of fruit like pineapple and apples. For us north americans, the drink often reminds us of apple cider because cloves are used for flavoring.
Ecuadorians also take the day to visit the cementary and leave flowers at the graves of relatives who have passed away. In years past, traditionally, the guaguas de pan and the colada morada were left at the graves as well in order keep the dead spirits happy. In this sense, the holiday reminds me of Halloween.
At any rate, here you can see a photo of the guaguas de pan that we had one day in the office and also my niece Cris enjoying her cup of colada morada!
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