Colombia celebrates traditional Day of the Little Candles

Bogotá, Dec 7 (EFE).- Colombia on Tuesday celebrated the traditional Day of the Little Candles, marking the start of the Christmas season in the country, after an almost total interruption in 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

People throughout the country celebrated the traditional vigil on the eve of the Immaculate Conception by lighting candles and lanterns outside their homes and buildings.

Entrances and facades of houses across the country were lit up and adorned with Christmas motifs on Tuesday night, unlike in 2019 when restrictions and fear of infection kept people indoors and away from even relatives and neighbors.

But this time around, people in towns and cities returned to the tradition with candles, lanterns, music, food and sweets with the pandemic apparently under control after a devastating third wave in mid-2021.

Music shows also featured in the celebrations, including a concert by the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra in the central Bolívar Square, where many families gathered with candles.

The Catedral Primada de Colombia, located in the square, was also illuminated and served as a backdrop for the music and fireworks.

A few streets away, in the Bronx Creative District, formerly known for drugs and crime but now being developed as a hub of creative businesses, children lit candles and prayed for the year ahead.

Cultural shows were also held in the El Tunal and Simón Bolívar parks.

The Colpatria Tower, one of the tallest buildings in Bogotá, was adorned with lights, as were shopping malls that extended their hours for Christmas shopping.

Christmas decorations were also seen in other cities, including Cali, where more than a million twinkling LED lights were installed along the Bulevar del Río.

Meanwhile, a Christmas tree was lit up in Plaza de la Paz in Barranquilla, the main city of the Colombian Caribbean, while street vendors offered candles and lanterns. EFE

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