Día de las Velitas

Dec. 7: A group of children light candles during a Christmas lighting ceremony in Bogota. The Day of the Candles, the unofficial start of the Christmas season in the country, is one of the most traditional holidays of Colombia. It is celebrated on Dec. 7, on the eve of the Immaculate Conception, which is a public holiday in Colombia.

Día de las Velitas, The Day of the Candles, is celebrated in Colombia on Dec 7th, on the eve of a public, religious holiday started by the Catholic church called, the Immaculate Conception. This day is the unofficial start of the Christmas season in the country.

On this day, people place candles and paper lanterns on their windows, balconies, porches, sidewalks, streets, parks and squares, in short, everywhere they can be seen, in honor of the Virgin Mary. The celebration of the Day of the Candles dates to 1854.

Last night Angela and Luisa invited us to join in with them on this celebration... The boys loved trying to keep the candles lit, with the little breeze that was happening and Mary enjoyed the cookies! :) Each candle had the name of a friend, family member, or other valued person, close to their heart.

I love Angela bringing some of her countries traditons to our family. Thank you Angela... I am going to try to remember Dec 7th, and honor it in our family for years to come. The pictures are a bit blurry, taken by candlelight, but you get the idea....