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Day of the Little Candles

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Día de las velitas
Little Candles Day or Immaculate Conception Eve
A house decorated with candles in Barranquilla
Official nameDay of the Immaculate Conception
Observed byColombia
TypeState and religious
CelebrationsLighting of candles and lanterns
ObservancesVarious religious processions
BeginsSundown December 7
EndsSunrise December 8
DateDecember 7
Next time7 December 2025 (2025-12-07)
Frequencyannual
Related toChristmas in Colombia

Little Candles Day or Immaculate Conception Eve (Spanish: Día de las velitas) is a widely observed religious holiday in Colombia. It is celebrated on December 7 on the eve of the Immaculate Conception, which is a public holiday in Colombia. This day is the unofficial start of the Christmas season in the country, although the official day is the First Advent Sunday (between November 27 and December 3).[1]

On this night, people place candles and paper lanterns on windowsills, balconies, porches, sidewalks, streets, parks, and squares; in short, everywhere they can be seen, in honor of the Virgin Mary and her Immaculate Conception. On December 8 it is not mandatory to work and it is customary for houses to hoist a white flag with the image of the Virgin Mary all day. They also hold numerous events, from fireworks shows to competitions.

Background

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Mary, mother of Jesus, as the Immaculate Conception. Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. Museo del Prado.

The celebration of the Night of the Little Candles dates to December 7, 1854, when Pope Pius IX defined as dogma the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, published in his Apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus. In anticipation of this decision, people lit candles and paper lanterns to show their support and belief in this idea.

In Colombia, as in many places all over the world, this announcement was observed by lighting candles. The Catholic Church of Colombia kept alive the celebration and made an annual tradition of lighting candles the night of December 7.[2]

Some places celebrate the night of the little candles several nights before December 8, particularly in the Paisa region. This is believed to derive from a hanukkah tradition[3] since a large number of paisas are from Jewish descent[citation needed].

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Con Las Velitas Se Prende La Navidad". El Tiempo (in Spanish). December 6, 2003. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
  2. ^ Guarín Claudia Toro, Lina. "Una fiesta alrededor de la luz" (in Spanish). El Colombiano. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  3. ^ "Cripto-Judios de Colombia". July 3, 2011.

Further reading

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