Colombia’s Day of the Little Candles: History and Significance

What is the Day of the Little Candles in Colombia?

The Dia de la velitas, or Little Candles Day, which I actually think would be better referred to as the Noche de las velitas, or Little Candles Eve, is a yearly tradition where Colombians light candles and other lanterns in honor of the Virgin Mary.

Candles are lit on sidewalks, on balconies, on patios, and in windows.

Many also make wishes for the health and well being of their friends and families too.

In my opinion, it is one of the neatest Colombian Christmas traditions.

Why is Little Candles Day in Colombia on December 7?

The Little Candles Day tradition is connected to the Catholic feast and holy day celebrating the official adoption of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception by the Catholic Church.

That holiday is on December 8, the day after Little Candles Night, and it is a public holiday in Colombia.

Unlike many other Colombian holidays, or festivos in Spanish, including many of the Catholic feast days, the holiday isn’t the following Monday. It is always December 8, regardless of the day of the week.

Many people also consider it the unofficial kickoff of the Christmas season, and the Day of the Little Candles or surrounding days are often when cities and towns debut their Christmas lights and decorations.

Often Christmas lights get turned on the weekend leading up to the 7th, or perhaps the 7th itself. For example, Cartagena had a Christmas lights ceremony on Friday December 5, in 2025.

What is the Immaculate Conception?

The Immaculate Conception is a church doctrine that asserts that not only was Jesus’s Christ’s mother Mary was a virgin, but she was free of original sin herself too.

For the fellow non-Catholics or not very religious like me, the idea of original sin holds that all humanity is forever stained by the sin of Adam and Eve and their fall from grace and the Garden of Eden.

Put another way, it is a belief that all human beings have natural impulses towards temptation and evil. In particular, the sin of sexual lust is closely associated with the idea of original sin.

During medieval times, a debate arose among Catholic scholars over whether or not Mary was free of original sin.

Catholic thinkers nearly universally agreed that Mary was free from personal sin, a doctrine established by the Council of Trent in the 1500s.

However, there was disagreement about whether or not she carried the legacy of Adam and Eve’s fall.

Proponents of the idea that she was free from original sin promoted the idea of the Immaculate Conception.

This is the idea that Mary was not conceived through sexual intercourse between her parents Joachim and Anne but through an act of God.

This means that she carried the complete grace of God and was free from the stain of Adam and Eve and the inherent nature towards temptation and sinfulness of the rest of the human race.

By the 16th century, the belief that Mary’s conception was free from sin had become popularly accepted by many regular Catholics on the ground, or better put in the pews.

However, the debate still continued among the theologians and church officials in the ivory steeples of the church’s academia. The church itself had no formal, official position.

In 1849, seeking to settle the debate once and for all, Pope Pius IX published an encyclical polling bishops on the issue, and the overwhelming majority agreed that Mary’s conception was indeed immaculate.

Therefore, the idea that Mary was born from Immaculate Conception was made official Roman Catholic dogma by a Papal Bull known as the Ineffabilis Deus by Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854.

Therefore, December 8th is celebrated as the feast day of The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception around the Roman Catholic world, with Colombia being no exception.

Origin of the Día de las Velitas on December 7

In anticipation of the declaration by Pius of the Immaculate Conception in 1854, Catholics around the world lit candles on the night of December 7, 1854.

That means the first Night of the Little Candles was a worldwide event, not just a Colombian one.

However, the Colombian Catholic Church continued to promote it and encourage people to light candles on the night of December 7 in honor of the Virgin Mary in subsequent years.

Over time, it effectively turned into a beloved annual tradition in Colombia, one that lives on today. Susana continues to celebrate it even here in the US.

What to Expect on Little Candles Day?

Different cities and towns, and even different families, all have slightly different traditions and ways of celebrating Little Candles Night.

Some light their candles earlier in the evening on December 7, while others light them after midnight.

Susana, for example, says you should light them exactly at or just after midnight, which is most common in Cartagena.

Susana also makes wishes with each candle.

Other Colombians say you should use each candle to represent something you are thankful for, while others say you should have a combination of wishes and things you are grateful for.

Some say you should light exactly 12 candles, one for each month of the year, making this similar to some of the most interesting Colombian New Years traditions.

Meanwhile, the strict Catholics might tell you the candles are meant only to represent faith, hope, and the protection of the Virgin Mary.

While the time they are lit and their exact significance might vary, just about anywhere you are in Colombia on December 7, you’ll assuredly see plenty of them.

Some people light lanterns and even have elaborate displays, while others simply go for a row of the brightly colored simple candles you can buy on the street.

People light candles on their balconies, patios, in their windows, but most of all on the sidewalks in front of their homes.

You’ll likely see the little piles of green, and purple, and blue wax for a few days along the sidewalks.

The next day, it is common for people to hang white flags in honor of the Virgin Mary as well.

As mentioned above, the days around December 7th or December 7th itself is often when many cities and towns turn on their Christmas lights, kicking off the holiday season.

Lighting the candles on the Día de las Velitas is part of getting into the Christmas spirit for most Colombians.

People also often eat favorite holiday foods like buñuelos, natilla, and tamales or pasteles.

It’s really common to see people estrenar, or debut, their new December clothes and outfits on Little Candles Eve, and it is a time of merry celebration.

By this time, the radio and picos around the barrios are already blasting the most popular Christmas songs all the time too.

In other words, this is really the day where everyone starts to really get in the mood for Christmas.

While family celebrations are common, the Noche de las Velitas is also a popular night for people to go out on the town with friends, at least in Cartagena.

Check out my guide to Cartagena nightlife here if you happen to be here for the Día de las Velitas (or any other time, really), by the way.

With the next day being a holiday for most, it’s not uncommon for people to be out late partying and dancing.

Will You Celebrate Little Candles Day in Colombia?

The Día de las Velitas really is a neat Colombia holiday tradition.

Lots of people remember it as a fun and cherished childhood tradition and keep it alive today. I’m sure Susana will always continue to make sure to light her candles and teach it to our daughter one day.

If the day after Little Candles Day falls on a workday, it is also a nice midweek holiday and day off.

While religious in origin, it is celebrated by the devout and not so devout as well.

So if you happen to be in Cartagena or elsewhere in Colombia on the night of December 7, it’s a great night to go out on the town, and see the candles later in the night.

On the day and days leading up to the Day of the Little Candles in Colombia, you can also pick up candles from street vendors and in most little tiendas around town if you want to light a few of your own!

It’s an easy way to participate in a fun Colombian tradition!

Cheers and Happy Exploring!

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While Cartagena’s historic walls and plazas look really neat lit up with Christmas lights, visiting some of Colombia’s charming small towns can be a neat way to see traditions like this in full force. Villa de Leyva, Barichara, and Salento would be my picks for small towns to see this kind of tradition. Also, the very neat and off the beaten path Sanctuary of Las Lajas is gorgeous lit up during Christmas time!