Dia de las Velitas in Jardin

In a world that is culturally globalizing, it is rare to find distinct national holidays whose traditions and customs have not seeped through porous cultural borders into other nations. Dia de las Velitas (“Day of the Little Candles”), however, is a distinctly Colombian national holiday.

What is Dia de las Velitas?

Colombians celebrate the holiday on December 7th, serving as an informal start to the Christmas season. As the name implies, the holiday centers around candles. People place lit candles and faroles (lanterns) in public places like parks and along streets, and also on their patios.

Historically, Dia de las Velitas marked the eve of the feast of the immaculate conception. The feast, which is celebrated throughout Latin America on December 8th, honors the Catholic orthodoxy that the Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin. Within Colombia’s religious tradition, devotees lit candles in honor of Mary the day before the feast. This tradition became Dia de las Velitas.¹

History, however, tells you little about a holiday’s modern cultural significance. Think Halloween, Labor Day, the Fourth of July, and almost any other US holiday. Similarly, the only link Dia de las Velitas maintains with the past is candles.

But, even the meaning of the candles has changed. Few Colombians light candles in honor of Mary’s lack of original sin. Now, the candles might represent hope, faith, or the coming of the Christmas season.

Or, they simply act as the social glue to bring people together. In this regard, the candles serve a similar role as fireworks for the Fourth of July. Something fun to do in community.

Dia de las Velitas in Jardin

By pure serendipity, I spent Dia de las Velitas in Jardin, Colombia—a small town of 15,000 people. The town is a winding three-hour bus ride from Medellin, with the route taking you through the heart of the Antioquian Andes.

Jardin is an officially designated pueblo patrimonio and shares characteristics with many such towns:² colorful buildings lining cobblestone streets, boutique restaurants and coffee shops on every corner, and an old but well-maintained church anchoring the town’s central plaza.

Being close to Medellin, many paisas visit Jardin on weekends and holidays. Due to this, the town was packed with travelers for Dia de las Velitas.

I stepped off the bus and into the central plaza at nightfall and was instantly immersed in candles, faroles, and people. Every walkway in the plaza was lined with candles. Families occupied every bench, glowing in the ambient light of faroles.

The steps in front of the basilica were especially beautiful. Every step, every inch, was covered with brightly lit candles and faroles. They provided a beautiful foreground to the lit up church.

The whole town seemed to gather in the central plaza. Families and friends came together, lit candles, and then sat around the candles to chat. Couples held hands, parents ate street food such as salsipapas, and children acted as children.

Gleeful children used lighting candles as an excuse to play with fire. They lit faroles, paper, and anything else that might burn; conducting science experiments and taunting / scaring their friends with burning objects. In a universal sign of flirting, one boy lit a piece of paper and chased a girl with it. I’m still curious whether his tactics secured him his first kiss.

Residents celebrated the holiday beyond the town plaza. Businesses on side-streets set candles in front of their shops, as shopkeepers and patrons gathered around the candles gossiping. Not to be outdone, homeowners lined their balconies with candles and faroles.

On the surface, Dia de las Velitas was about candles. In reality, however, it was about community. Candles were secondary actors.

People didn’t just light candles and silently stare at them, hypnotized by their stochastic flames. They talked, laughed, and played. They came together in public spaces with no agenda beyond coming together in public spaces.

This concept—coming together in a communal space to do nothing but chat—is a rarity in the United States. In Colombia, however, it is a common pastime, usually accompanied by a Poker or Club Colombia beer. It is one of the many dimensions of Colombian culture that the United States should embrace.

Footnotes

1. The full history is more nuanced. Pope Pius IX issued a papal bull defining the Immaculate conception—the belief that Mary was conceived without original sin—as orthodoxy on December 8, 1854. The day prior, Colombians lit candles in anticipation of the announcement. And with that, Dia de las Velitas started. ↩

2. Pueblos Patrimonios are a group of 17 Colombian towns officially designated so by the Colombian government for their exceptional cultural, architectural, and historical heritage. ↩