Cuenca’s holiday festivities continue tonight as 25,000 are expected to observe and participate in the annual Day of the Innocents. The event, highlighted by a parade and performances on Av. Solano, features thousands of men and boys in drag, theatrical and musical acts and various other representations of strangeness.
The event kicks off a
t Parque de la Madre at about 4:00 p.m. with a parade following at 6 that heads west on Av. 12 de Abril and ends on Av. Solano. A stage for musical events and skits will be set up on Solano near the intersection with 12 de Abril.
Like many of Cuenca’s festivals, the Day of the Innocents was originally a religious celebration that, over the years, took on the trappings of carnival. The event is intended as a remembrance of the King Herod’s death sentence ordered for all Israeli new-borns after the birth of Christ. Cuenca’s version of the event that is celebrated throughout Latin American, is reportedly the largest in Ecuador, and includes an army of boys and young men parading in women’s clothes, women decked out as devils, clowns, floats designed on satirical themes and a bizarre variety of skits.
The event also features plenty of food.
The festival, sponsored by Cuenca’s Friendship Club and dozens of local families, is highlighted by a competition among floats and acts, the winners being announced on Thursday.
Photo caption: Day of the Innocents participants get ready to party