Colombia’s Day of the Little Candles Tradition

What is the Day of the Little Candles and Why is it on December 7th?

Colombia’s Day of the Little Candles tradition is connected to the Catholic feast and holy day celebrating the Immaculate Conception, or the idea that the Virgin Mary was conceived free of original sin.

This is on December 8, the day after people celebrate the Day of the Little Candles in Colombia.

During the night of December 7, Colombians all around the country light candles in honor of the Virgin Mary.

It is one of the neatest Colombian Christmas traditions.

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

What is the Immaculate Conception?

December 8, the holiday in honor of the Immaculate Conception and the day after Little Candles Day in Colombia is always a national public holiday.

Unlike many other Colombian holidays, or festivos in Spanish, including most Catholic feast days, it is always a holiday on the actual day of December 8 and not the following Monday.

This holiday celebrates the official adoption of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception by the Catholic Church.

For the fellow non-Catholics like myself, this is a church doctrine that asserts that not only was Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, a virgin, but she was free of original sin herself.

For the fellow non-Catholics or not very religious like me, the idea of original sin holds that all humanity is forever stained by in 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 impulses towards 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 sinfulness of the rest of the human race.

By the 16th century, the belief that Mary’s conception was free form sin had become popularly accepted by many Catholics, although debate still continued among theologians and church officials, and the church had no settled doctrine.

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 a 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.

Some Orthodox Catholic Churches, like the Ethiopian Church also accept it, while others do not.

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

Origin of the Little Candles Day on December 7

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

That means the first Little Candles Day 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 an annual tradition in Colombia, one that lives on today.

On the Día de las Velitas, people around Colombia light colorful candles and place them on sidewalks, balconies, and windowsills in honor of the Virgin Mary.

What to Expect on Little Candles Day?

Different cities and towns, and even different families, all have slightly different traditions and ways of celebrating the night of the little candles.

Some light the candles earlier in the evening on December 7, others only 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 for 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.

Others say you should light exactly 12 candles, one for each month of the year.

The strict Catholics might tell you the candles are strictly 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.

While family celebrations are common, it is also a popular night for people to go out dancing and partying with friends, at least in Cartagena. It’s not uncommon for people to be up partying late into the night.

The next day is a holiday after all!

People will also often buy new clothes for the Christmas season, and the Day of the Little Candles makes the perfect time to debut or estrenar one of their new December outfits.

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.

Since the Little Candles Day in Colombia is usually considered the unofficial start of Christmas celebrations, Cartagena’s Christmas lights are usually inaugurated on the Night of the Little Candles.

Sometimes they get lit the weekend before the Day of the Little Candles, depending on just what day of the week December 7 falls.

This is quite common in other cities and towns around Colombia as well.

Colombia’s Day of the Candles Tradition Conclusion

Rather you call it the Immaculate Conception, the Dia de las Velitas, the Noche de las Velitas, the Day of the Little Candles, Night of the Little Candles, or whatever else, this 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.

By the way, if you happen to be in Colombia around the end of the year, do check out my post on the neatest Colombian New Year traditions too!

There you have it, a short history of the Little Candles Day in Colombia and some tips for what to expect during the Little Candles Night tradition.

I hope you enjoyed it, that you learned something, and that you maybe even enjoy lighting a few candles of your own too!

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!