New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Eve: In Ecuador, the expression “New Year’s Eve Party” is used to refer to the celebration of the last day of the year. It should be capitalized, just as the name of the holiday is used on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Eve (last night of the year). Example: At the New Year’s Eve party we toast the well-being of our family and friends. It is lowercase when it is simply the last day of the year, as in this sentence: Businessmen gave bonuses to their employees before the end of the year.

Old years or old years: These shapes They do not appear in the Spanish Dictionary, but in Ecuador they are used to refer to the dolls that are burned at the New Year’s Eve party. However, the name “old year” appears in the Dictionary of Americanisms meaning ‘grotesque figure doll, usually made of rags, filled with sawdust or paper, wearing a mask and dressed in old clothes, which is burned on the night of December 31’. But currently, these dolls with rags and masks are rarely used in this country. Now they are real works of art, created in imitation of politicians, artists, animals, video game characters, etc.; They are also of different sizes (small, medium, gigantic) and made of various materials, in which intense colors predominate.

Photo of “monigotes” or dolls depicting political and fictional characters for sale on the street, today in Quito (Ecuador). EFE/Julio Estrella
Photo: EFE

New Year and New Year: It is capitalized when referring to the first day of the year, as it is a public holiday; but it is in lowercase when it refers to the entire year about to begin.

Dear readers, have fun during the New Year holidays and may you have peace, health and abundance in the New Year! (F)

SOURCES: Dictionary of the Spanish Language, Pan-Hispanic Dictionary of Doubts, Dictionary of Americanisms And Spelling of the Spanish language (electronic versions), from the Royal Spanish Academy and the Association of Academies of the Spanish Language.