In many corners of Colombia, the farewell to the year does not take place in silence nor is it limited to a countdown in front of the television. The night of December 31 is marked by a scene that combines fire, satire, and collective catharsis: “the burning of the Año Viejo (Old Year).” Life-size effigies, stuffed with sawdust, paper, and used clothing, appear seated on chairs, leaning against walls, or guarding the doors of houses, as if watching over the final hours of the calendar. They represent real or imaginary characters, shared fears, accumulated frustrations, and, above all, the need to close a cycle.
More than a simple festive tradition, the Año Viejo functions as a social ritual that allows entire communities to process what they have lived through over twelve months. In a country marked by political, economic, and personal crises, fire becomes a powerful metaphor: burning the bad to make room for the new. Amid laughter, fireworks, and embraces, Colombians transform the end of the year into a symbolic act of renewal, where recent memory is reduced to ashes to give way to hope.
Colombia ‘burns the Año Viejo’ to welcome 2026
The tradition of the Año Viejo did not originate in Colombia, but it found fertile ground in the country to take root. Its origins can be traced to European and Latin American rituals associated with the end of a cycle and purification through fire. In the Colombian context, the tradition became firmly established throughout the 20th century, especially in urban and rural regions where year-end celebrations took on a community-based character.
Over time, the Año Viejo ceased to be an abstract figure and became a mirror of the present. It no longer represents only the year that is ending, but the problems that defined it. The tradition adapted to the country’s historical circumstances, incorporating references to economic crises, political scandals, armed conflicts, or everyday situations that affect people’s lives.
Each effigy tells a story. Some are anonymous, with improvised faces and disproportionate bodies; others reproduce public figures in remarkable detail, from presidents and mayors to celebrities and villains of the national moment. The choice is not accidental: the effigy concentrates anger, frustration, or mockery that does not always find other channels of expression.
In many neighborhoods, making the Año Viejo is a collective effort. Neighbors contribute old clothes, paper, paint, and time. Children watch and take part, learning from an early age the symbolic value of the ritual. The final result does not seek aesthetic perfection, but emotional impact. What matters is that the effigy represents what people wish to leave behind.
Wills and critical humor in a catharsis for the new year
One of the most distinctive expressions of the tradition is the Año Viejo’s “will.” These are texts written in a humorous tone, read before the burning, in which the effigy distributes symbolic inheritances. Local gossip, political criticism, and inside jokes are mixed together in an exercise in satire that reveals social tensions and opinions that would hardly appear in other spaces.
Humor plays a key role. It allows discontent to be channeled without resorting to direct confrontation. Laughing at the year’s misfortunes is a way of regaining control, of asserting that, despite everything, the community remains standing and capable of reinterpreting the experience.
The moment of the burning concentrates the ritual’s symbolic weight. When the effigy goes up in flames, accompanied by fireworks and applause, a collective sense of relief is produced. Fire destroys, but it also purifies. The flames light up expectant faces as the smoke rises like a farewell message.
For many, this act has an almost therapeutic dimension. It represents the possibility of closing wounds, letting go of resentments, and starting anew. Although the new year will bring its own challenges, the ritual offers the necessary illusion of a clean beginning.
Far from disappearing, the Año Viejo has transformed over time. Today it coexists with social media, where images of the effigies circulate and are commented on, expanding the reach of the ritual. It also faces questions for environmental and safety reasons, leading some communities to seek more controlled or symbolic ways of maintaining the tradition.
Even so, the spirit of the Año Viejo remains intact. It continues to be a deeply Colombian act, where social criticism, humor, and hope intertwine. In every effigy that is burned there is a shared story and a common desire: that the fire will carry away the bad, and that the new year will arrive, at least for one night, full of possibilities.