With the holidays coming up, we decided to look at traditional Christmas celebrations in some of the places where we work!
Christmas in Colombia is largely structured around the Catholic calendar. The Christmas season starts on December 7th, with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, widely known as “El Dia de las Velitas” or the day of candles. At dusk, tall, thin candles are placed on long pieces of wood and lit, illuminating houses, churches, and shops. The night continues with dancing, music, food, and drinks, like the famous Colombian liquor “Aquardiente”.
Starting on December 16th, families gather together to pray “La Novena de Aguinaldos”, a special occasion to get closer to their faith and remember the birth of Christ. This gathering continues every night until December 24th. Each evening includes food and traditional songs.
On “La Nochebuena”, Colombians get the chance to indulge in traditional foods for the “Cena de Navidad” or Christmas Eve dinner. Between pork, ham, chicken, families have a wide variety of dishes to choose from. A traditional Christmas dessert is called “Natilla”, made with cinnamon, milk, sugar and cloves. At midnight, there is a toast with aguardiente, rum or champagne.
For Coptic Christians in Ethiopia, Christmas, known as Ganna, is celebrated on January 7th rather than December 25th. Many people fast on Christmas Eve, January 6th, and wake up at dawn to attend mass, dressed in traditional white cotton garments called “shammas”. Mass is typically accompanied by singing and candles, and is followed by a feast of traditional Ethiopian foods. The most iconic Christmas dish is a spicy stew made with meat and vegetables, served on a plate of “injera”, or flat bread.
Twelve days after Christmas, the three-day celebration of Timkat, or Jesus’ baptism, begins. Children walk to church services in procession, wearing crowns and robes, while adults wear “shammas”. Traditional musical instruments are played during the procession, such as “sistrum”, akin to a tambourine, and “makamiya”, a prayer stick used to keep rhythm. It’s a time of religious celebration, eating food, and celebrating with friends and family.
In the Republic of Georgia, the majority of the population is Orthodox Christian, meaning they also celebrate Christmas on January 7th. On that day, large processions, called “Alilo”, make their way through the streets of cities, towns and villages, led by clergymen. Dressed in traditional garb, people congratulate each other and collect money for charity during Alilo.
Georgian Christmas trees, called Chichilaki, are carved from the branches of walnut trees and decorated with curled strands of white wood. The Georgian version of Santa Claus, know as “tovlis papa” (Grandfather Snow), is usually depicted wearing traditional Georgian fur clothes. He does not have a sleigh or reindeer, but brings children gifts on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day is full of family, friends, and food, as well as candlelit church ceremonies, hymns, and traditions.
These are just a few of the unique and dynamic Christmas traditions around the world. At Solimar, we are proud to support cultural and heritage preservation to keep such amazing traditions alive.
How do you celebrate the holidays?