Día de las Velitas (Day of the Little Candles) is a Colombian holiday tradition of lighting rows and rows of candles on the night of December 7 to celebrate the proclamation of the Immaculate Conception by Pope Pius IX at the Vatican in Rome on December 8, 1854.
Día de las Velitas 2023
The next celebration is Thursday, December 7, 2023.
A Commemoration of the Acceptance of the Immaculate Conception
The are lots of religious details around the issue, but the proclamation of the Immaculate Conception basically acknowledges that the female and male aspects of divinity are equal.
It is said that Catholics all over the world lit candles in anticipation of the proclamation. Día de las Velitas commemorates this moment.
This tradition is loved across Colombia. Medellín is famous for its Día de las Velitas. There it blends with the Jewish Hanukkah festival of lights tradition.
Colombian families love to create nativity scenes at home, and they are serious about it. It’s a big deal.