Three potatoes and a stuffed dummy?

Want to know hot to use three potatoes and a stuffed dummy for bringing in the New Year? Well heres the scoop.

During the latter part of December in Colombia and Ecuador, an effigy of the old year is stuffed with sawdust, wood chips, shredded paper and other flammables. The body is seeded with a few well-placed firecrackers as well. The head is often a papier-mch mask not infrequently resembling a famous person, character or politician. Someone youd just as soon be rid of is a runaway favorite, although witches, politicians, presidents, generals and mother-in-laws have the followings.

The life-sized effigy is placed in a prominent place like a doorway, window or even on a chair out in front of the house to await its fate. The practice even extends to stores, shops and businesses with many having effigies made up and placed outside in front away from the merchandise of course. On the evening of December 31st, often sooner, the effigy is set ablaze amid much fanfare, shouting and wishes for the New Year. It burns rapidly taking the old year and its troubles with it. As the crackling flames, fueled by gasoline poured on the effigy, reach the firecrackers, the dummy is blown into flaming bits. There are so many burning on some streets in Quito and other towns in Ecuador it looks like a war zone. The stage is now set for a fresh, New Year.

Now Take Three Potatoes

This ones easy, but odd. You take three potatoes; some people use five, peel one and then toss them all under the bed. Dont look now no peeking! Reach under the bed and feel around for them. Got em? Okay pick one, still no peeking now! Take it out. If its the peeled one, then goodness and bounty will be yours for the New Year. If its not, well, better luck next year. Dont laugh, my Mother-in-law does this! (but for goodness sakes, dont tell her I told you!)

Happy New Year! and get that suitcase out!

Want to know what suitcase? Be sure to read Happy New Year Latin Style: Unusual South American Customs for bringing in the New Year online at: http://betterfelteacher.blogspot.com/

Larry M. Lynch

Larry M. Lynch is an American English Language Specialist, ELT professor, TOEFL Examiner and EFL Teacher Trainer at the Santiago de Cali University with 15 years teaching experience in Latin America, the USA and Europe. He has presented plenary sessions, seminars, workshops and teacher training sessions at numerous TEFL conferences and educational institutions and holds a post-graduate diploma in TESOL from the Trinity College ? London (UK). He also holds CELTA, DELTA and Business English teaching certifications from England, Spain and the USA and has taught EFL at the secondary, university undergraduate and post-graduate levels in Cali for the past 11 years. An active ELT academic researcher and prolific author, he has more than 340 current articles, presentations, academic papers, books, reference works, workshops and publications related to TESOL or English language-learning & acquisition worldwide along with extensive experience in Testing, CALL, curriculum review and course development including development of alternative methods of evaluation and assessment online and using multi-modal didactic techniques.