By Michael Lanza
It’s a sentiment that resonates across every culture, but it’s especially true for those hailing from South America. Among the City’s largest community of Colombian natives here in Queens, the mostly Catholic immigrants celebrate nine days of family gatherings and Christmas traditions every year.
Bastidas emigrated from Colombia at the age of 19, but 42 years as an American have not dulled her sense of tradition and pride in her heritage, she said. Every year Bastidas practices a Christmas Novena, a nine-day South American tradition of family festivities and prayer leading up to Christmas Eve.
The Novena is a Catholic tradition in which devotees commit themselves to nine consecutive days of prayer. Practitioners typically recite short Bible passages or rosary prayers.
“Some families like to make a dinner with the neighbors or with the family,” she said of the Novena observances, but added that only prayer is required.
On Christmas Eve, families gather for a final prayer or church service at midnight, before celebrating by eating a holiday meal and exchanging gifts.
Traditional Colombian meals often feature lechona, a popular pork dish stuffed with yellow peas, green onions, yellow rice and spices, slow roasted in an outdoor brick oven. Other traditional foods include bunuelos, sweet bread, and tamales, a mixture of meat, vegetables and dough steamed in banana leaves. But Bastidas admits her family has adopted some American holiday traditions. She cooks turkey for Christmas.
“We try to keep our traditions, especially the food. I made the food for the children Colombian style,” she said. “I do half and half, Colombian food and American food.”
Unlike many European Christians, Colombians do not embrace the Santa Claus mythology. Although many Western holiday traditions have lost their theological aspect, South American Christmases remain steeped in religion. While the Colombian holiday season is much less commercialized, gift giving is still an important aspect of Christmas celebrations and presents are delivered to a household manger by “El Divino Nino,” baby Jesus, rather than Santa.
“The children write letters for the Divino Nino, not for Santa Claus and not for the three kings – for the Divino Nino – to bring the gifts to the little kids,” she said.
Colombians also celebrate another Christmas-related holiday. Between Dec. 7 and 9 they observe the Dia de las Velitas, Day of Candles, by decorating homes, streets and sidewalks with candles and paper lanterns. The celebration honors the Catholic Church’s designation of the Immaculate Conception. Entire towns and cities organize massive decorative lighting efforts.
“We all put little candles in front of the house to honor our blessed mother,” Bastidas said.
The city of Medellin, Colombia has become a worldwide attraction for its observation of the holiday. Every year the city prepares a dazzling display along the Medellin River on Dec. 9. Every part of the river is covered in thematic light sculptures through the first week of January.