Merry Christmas
Feliz Navidad from Colombia!
Oh, it's a busy time of year, so if you want/need the quick version of our Christmas greetings then feel free to scroll to the bottom. Because as we have discovered, there is a lot of happiness packed into this season, and the celebration of Christmas in Colombia is anything but a night of peace.
It's more like a huge ''FELIZ NAVIDAD'' bursting forth with bright lights, brilliant colors and boisterous sounds!!
A friend recently shared an article that stated that Colombia's strongest quality is Happiness. We would have to agree, because through the years, we have found plentiful smiles and gracious ''bienvenidos'' during our travels here. But the Christmas season elevates the Colombian ''happiness'' scale to a whole new level,
... and may even encourage a future pyromaniac or two!
From the moment that we arrived in Medellin on December 2nd, we have been completely immersed in the happiness of the local Christmas celebrations and would like to share some of our experiences with you.
El Alumbrado ... Christmas Lights
Colombians love their Christmas lights! Starting at the end of November public parks, city streets, shopping malls, and private homes light up with happiness. In our little town of Sabaneta, the central park is set aglow at sunset (6 pm) every evening. The streets surrounding the park are temporarily closed to traffic which allows the Christmas market booths to take over. Music fills the air, the aroma of grilled sausages and arepas tempt the senses, and the lively conversations of people in the streets can be heard until all hours of the morning. While Medellin appeared to ''tone down'' the light displays this year (they have only 6 million lights verses the 28 million that they had in 2020), surrounding towns seem to be making up for it. Happiness can be seen shining brightly around us!
Colorful umbrellas in case of an afternoon shower,
... which into the Medellin River will flow.
Colors galore from the highest tree tops,
... reach to the wet streets below.
Where we can always find the beloved buñuelos,
... or Natilla, a Christmas pudding gift to bestow!
Pesebres ... Manger Scenes
Forget Santa and Rudolph and Frosty ... the Pesebre (manger scene) takes front and center here in Colombia. Churches display elaborate life-size figurines ... minus baby Jesus who will make his glorious appearance on Christmas Eve! Colombians love to decorate their homes and show off their displays. While walking around our neighborhood, we were invited into a couple of the many homes that transform their living rooms into manger scene extravaganzas ... a feast for the eyes!
Dia de las Velitas ... Candle Day (Dec 7-8)
While many of the Christmas decorations go up at the end of November, the ''official'' happiness of the Christmas season begins the evening of December 7. Dia de las Velitas has its roots in the Catholic faith which is the prominent religion in Colombia. On the night before the feast of the Immaculate Conception, families will place candles outside their homes as a way to welcome the ''Light'' that is to come into the world through the Virgin Mary. Accompanied by our friend Somni, we walked around our Sabaneta neighborhood, taking in the illuminating magic. We enjoyed delightful conversations with our new neighbors and marveled at the excitement of all the precious children.
Christmas Foods
When it comes to Christmas treats, forget the numerous types of cookies and sweets that you are scurrying to make. In Colombia, Christmas cooking is simple. Two special treats take center stage. If you have Natilla (Christmas pudding) and Buñuelos (a salty, cheesy deep fried pastry), you're all set! Of course, making the Natilla can be a community effort, as it is often made in large caldrons over a fire in the street.
I was lucky to get a ''Natilla cooking lesson'' when we took a walk one evening.
Doug was happy to have his Natilla and Buñuelo handed to him during an in-person Christmas gathering with some of the members of our on-line Spanish/English Conversation Club.
While I'm not sure if it will catch on, I did introduce our Paisa friends to ''Snowball Cookies''. They were amazed that I actually made cookies ... it doesn't seem like homemade baked goods are very common here, but these were definitely a big hit!
We also introduced our Paisa friends to one of my family's Polish traditions, the sharing of Oplatek (Christmas wafer). Here in Colombia they have obleas (a round flat wafer) which is similar in size and taste to the Oplatek. Our friends really enjoyed the sharing of the wafer along with the sharing of the kind words. It seemed to be another way to spread even more Colombian happiness.
Christmas Novena ... Dec 16-24
So have you ever had two or three celebrations that you wanted to attend on Christmas Eve? How do you choose? Well, the Colombians have found a solution to this problem in the form of the Christmas Novena. From December 16-24, gatherings of different groups of family and friends are held each evening. As my friend explained it, each nightly gathering is a ''mini-Christmas'', and since they are spread out over nine evenings, she can get together with both sides of the family as well as special friends. What I have found so unique and ''refreshing'' is that here in Colombia there is little to no emphasis on gift-giving. The true ''gift'' of Christmas is spending time with others.
Which is what we did one recent afternoon. A group that we volunteered with during previous visits here was hosting a Christmas party for the children of one of the poorer neighborhoods in Medellin.
What a JOY to be greeted with a shy ''hola'' and a sweet smile hidden behind the mask!
While I will never claim to be a face-painting artist, it was a delight to see the smiles after I showed them the arco iris (rainbow) on their forehead, and a corazón (heart) on their cheeks.
And it warmed my heart to see how the boys clung to every word that came out of Doug's mouth. While his pronunciation may not always be perfect, these young people know and appreciate the language of caring for one another.
Despite the normal late afternoon rainstorm that put an early end to the activities, the happiness of just spending time together was evident on all these precious faces. No need for expensive gifts ... a piece of candy and kind words are all they need. And they even caught on to the ''Rain, rain, go away'' rhyme that I shared.
Veinticuatro de Diciembre ... Christmas Eve (Dec 24)
Like the United States, Christmas Eve is a special day for Colombians. From what I have heard, a special evening meal is served followed by midnight Mass followed by more celebrating late into the night. Colombians sure do like their late night celebrations! Christmas Day is usually very laid back ... a day to eat leftovers and rest up from (at this point) almost a month of late night partying. We are grateful to have been invited to the home of Doug's college friend who lives just outside of Bogotá. While we will miss being with family, we are grateful to be surrounded by so many wonderful friends whose abundant supply of Happiness easily overflows unto others!
If you made it this far, you are either way ahead of the Christmas game, or you have decided that Christmas in July sounds kinda appealing right now. Either way, we want to extend to you ...
Our Christmas card delivered with plenty of happiness from across the miles!
Which translated means ...
''Today, in the city of David, is born a Savor, the Messiah, The Lord''
Luke 2:11
God reveals His love and His life to us during this Christmas season. We ask that through His birth in a manger, we will all be calmed by Jesus' light and peace.
From our hearts, we bless you, we thank you, and we wish you a Holy Christmas
... and a New Year filled with Joy!
No comments:
Post a Comment