Why Colombians Decorate Their Toilets on Christmas
Living in Colombia, I really enjoy celebrating the traditional festivities and learning about the culture and people of this beautiful country. This year I celebrated the Christmas season to the fullest with my Colombian family — and I want to share with you 6 very Colombian Christmas traditions — some beautiful, some funny and some really weird. Many of those experiences were totally new to me, coming from Europe. To sum it up, Colombian Christmas is all about celebration — because Colombians like their rumba (Spanish for “celebration”).
Dia de las Velitas (Spanish for “Day of the little candles”)
Colombians start the Christmas season on the 7th of December — when they light up the whole country. At the night of this day, the family comes together and they light dozens of candles. Why? Because they want to light the way for the Virgin Mary, which comes to bless their homes. It is a beautiful spectacle because:
All the streets and homes are filled with lights — the symbol of hope.
There is one special ritual I liked the most — everyone lights one candle and makes a wish while watching the candle burn down. A wonderful meditation to connect to your very own light.
