Ecuador's 214th Independence Day celebrated in Reading with music, dancing and a flag raising

Aug. 10—National Day of the Republic of Ecuador was celebrated in Reading Thursday with music, dancing and a flag raising.

About 100 people gathered outside City Hall, 815 Washington Street, for the festivities.

"The City of Reading and I, as a community and as a government, are proud of the cultural enrichment brought by the Ecuadorian immigrants, who have become an important part of our community," Mayor Eddie Moran said in a proclamation commemorating the occasion.

Moran said his wife, Ruth, is half Ecuadorian, making the day personally significant for his family.

Ecuador's declaration of independence from Spain, signed Aug. 10, 1809, was the first such move in South America, the mayor said, and prompted other colonies to follow suit.

Though its declaration was made in 1809, it took another 20 years for Ecuador to become a fully independent republic, Moran said.

The Ecuadorian War for Independence ended with the defeat of the Spanish forces at the Battle of Pichincha on May 24, 1822.

Reading residents of Ecuadorian descent crowded the sidewalk dressed in T-shirts with the striped yellow, blue and red colors of the country's flag.

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Some joined in the traditional dance performed by Virgen de Quinche of Reading.

The dance troupe is named for the Virgin of Quinche, the patron saint of Ecuador.

The ceremonial dance was led by a man costumed as the diablo huma, which means devil's head.

The character is drawn from the indigenous legends of Ecuadorian region. The diablo huma is traditionally believed to drive away the evil spirits that are thought to harm harvests.

The colored mask with two faces represents the duality of the cosmos: good and evil, sun and moon, day and night, and future and present.