As the old year turns into the new, people in Ecuador handcraft dolls out of straw newspaper, and old clothes... dolls that are made to look very much like political figures from the past year... dolls which they then throw into a fire or stuff with firecrackers... which they then merrily watch explode as the clock strikes midnight.
Because celebrating the New Year and political upheaval go hand and hand... at least they do in Ecuador.
