I fell in love with Ekeko about a month ago after seeing him on a another blog.  I had wanted to get a statue of him, but truly had no other option other than to order him online.  I don't particularly like to shop on the internet, so I just left it alone.

I went to the Goodwill today while my daughter was hanging out with the girls.  I wanted a double broiler to melt wax in for homemade candles.  They didn't have one, so I went looking at the baskets and there was Ekeko sitting across the aisle on a shelf!  I felt like I won the lottery! I brought him home and gave him his own shelf and a cigarette. I think he's just adorable and so does everyone else.

I did some research on Ekeko and found a couple legends about him.  One legend says that he was a hard working man who saved up all his money and then went around helping people who were in need.

Another legend tells the story of a girl who fell in love with a soldier.  The young man gave her a statue of Ekeko for good luck; the country was at war and the food supply was low.  The girl had placed the statue outside of the house, and the young man would (anonymously) leave food by the statue.  It is said that the young woman and those of her household were able to survive those times because of Ekeko.

Ekeko is a fortune bearer and a very generous guy. It is thought that if you provide him with a miniature of what you want, you will soon receive the actual thing.  So people will surround Ekeko with little cars, houses, hearts (for love), food and so on.  Because he likes life's little pleasures, it is tradition to offer him a smoke and a drink.

Bolivia and Peru both claim Ekeko has come from their region.  In 2009 there was a bit of controversy about him as Bolivia wanted to claim sole ownership of Ekeko.  Peru maintains that he is bi-national and is representative of Andean culture.  


In January, Bolivia has the Alasitas festival in honor of Ekeko.  People from the region will buy their minatures and bring them to be blessed by the local shaman. Other places celebrate Ekeko in October with a festival called Calvario.


There are a few videos about him on YouTube, some folks are dancing with him and 
others are giving him a bit to drink! This one tells how you ask Ekeko for a favor.  




Wishing you good fortune!