Thousands of Ecuadorians, Latinos, residents and visitors from other cultures gathered in the streets of Queens this Sunday to enjoy from beginning to end the 40th edition of the annual Ecuador parade, organized by the Civic Committee of this country in NY.
Janet Molina, who has attended the parade for 30 years, comments:
“Today there have been more, much more people than in the other years, few of us had come, but with noise. Today I have seen that there are many, many, many compatriots who have come to see this parade”.
This multicultural festival is celebrated during the month of August on the occasion of Ecuadorian independence, which in 2023 reaches 214 years.
And the Ecuadorian parade is definitely characterized by its richness and cultural diversity. Here we see traditional, autochthonous and typical expressions of the South American country.
“The culture of the Gualacean cholitas, as always the embroidered skirt, the cashmere cloth, the straw hat,” says María Centeno, a participant in the parade.
Ashley González, who also attended the event explains:
“All this represents Pachamama and the wiphala, the wiphala means everything: water, the fruits that come all year after the harvest, the celebration of the sun and thanks to Pachamama for everything that she gave us during the year” .
Luis Salazar, a parade participant adds:
– “We are dancing the Sanjuanito, we are from the Ayazamana dance group.”
– What does Sanjuanito mean for Ecuadorians?
– “It is one of the San Pedro festivities and one of the most traditional in the Sierra”.
– “I have been representing what indigenous culture is, what it is from north to south, South America and North America, I have indigenous blood and I feel proud to have that culture”, Carlos Morocho tells us.
Queens County, specifically, has a large concentration of residents of Ecuadorian origin, so it was no surprise to see so many present to celebrate their Latino roots.
Rafael Rodríguez, Confederation of Ecuadorian Journalists in NYC:
“It is a great joy to see so many Ecuadorians this year, much more than the previous one, and after the pandemic we are proud that the Ecuadorian party has moved to New York City for 40 years.”
Throughout the day, we enjoyed albazos, tonadas, cumbias as well as the presence of artists and special guests who came especially to parade along Northern Boulevard in Jackson Heights.
2023-08-06 23:50:00
#Ecuadors #annual #parade #returns #great #cultural #diversity
