Friends approach a house singing traditional songs, asking to be let in. At first they are refused, but finally, they are invited inside and the Posada party begins. St. Thomas' Day December 21, Guatemala On St. Thomas' Day, Guatemalan Mayan Indians honor the sun god by dancing the dangerous palo voladare, the flying pole dance, in which three men climb to a platform at the top of a fifty-foot pole. In some parts of Mexico, the radishes grow as large as athe length of a child's arm. On this day, there is an annual radish sculpture competition.
Sculptors carve radishes in the shapes of famous and historical figures for all to see.
New Year's Eve December 31, Ecuador The Ano Viejo is represented by a scarecrow-like figure made from a stuffed shirt and pants and is burned at midnight. Children dress up in black as the Ano Viejo's widows, and scream as he burns.