December 7th- Dia de Velitas

Yesterday we celebrated the Eve of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (AKA Dia de Velitas… day of the candles) with the Colombians (Hey Grandmas… look at me practicing Catholicism!!! December 7th is a SUPER special day in Colombia and especially in Jardin where we live. The church in Jardin is called the Basilica de la Inmaculada Concepcion (Immaculate Conception) so it’s like the patron day of Jardin…. obviously they got crazyyy!!! Catholic celebrations are honestly way more enjoyable here than at home… I think it’s because most everyone is Catholic so it’s a time where the whole town gets together. It’s very family and community based and it’s enjoyable even for someone who has endless problems with organized religion!!! SOOO… what was it like?

First, around 5’oclock there was a procession starting with motos, then cars and buses, then horses. This is supposedly for Mary… it was super loud and people were spraying espuma (a Latin American fav past time) I’m unsure about how much Mary would have liked it but it’s definitely a trip seeing all the cool and LIVELY ways they celebrate religion here.

^Here we have the beautiful Basilica in Jardin (that is currently decked out in Xmas lights) and the park FULL of people (it was under construction and they finished up just in time for Dec. 7th!!! The morale was high and people were enjoying time with family. Jardin is a very touristic places not just for foreigners but also for Colombians. It’s a well known and beautiful pueblo so people from Medellin and other parts come visit for holidays like this.

This picture shows the shrine to Mary that is LITERALLY brought on the back of a truck and then LEFT IN THE CHURCH AFTER THE PARADE. I mean I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried…. a very different Catholicism from the one I was raised in. You can also see the choir with their Santa hats and just in general how many people were out!!! There was a priest saying prayers and blessings also in the back of a Jeep with a microphone.

Around 7 people start lighting candles in honor of the virgin Mary but what I’ve gotten based mostly off of my friends’ instagram posts is that it is also symbolic for new beginnings and hopes and dreams of positivity. I really liked the tradition. First of all the streets are lined with candles and it’s very beautiful and the ceremonial act of lighting a candle in hopes of something or with a wish is familiar like when you blow out your birthday candles. Dia de Velitas was awesome and I’ll definitely keep blogging about the holidays here. Christmas season is definitely here and even though the weather doesn’t remind me of Chicago christmas, the spirit of being with family and celebrating does not lack here 🙂