As I mentioned last year, December 7th is the Day of the little Candles in Colombia and marks the beginning of the Christmas season. Colombian culture isn't on Narcos. They celebrate Christmas on Christmas eve and then on Christmas day in Cali they dance salsa for three days in the Feria de Cali.
Today they line the streets with candles lighting the way for Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem. The official version is that is has something to do with the Immaculate conception which doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If Mary gave birth on Christmas Day she didn't conceive on December 7th.
Another explanation is that the tradition dates back to December 8th 1844 when people lined the streets in anticipation of the Pope's decision to officially adopt the doctrine of the immaculate conception. Which doesn't make a whole lot of sense either.
I like the lighting the way for the journey to Bethlehem twist because it fits in with that Spanish children's song about the donkey going to Bethlehem to see Jesus.
Whatever your persuasion, candles and lanterns are a big part of many different cultures. The Chinese Lantern Festival marks the end of Lunar New Year celebrations with beautiful glowing lanterns. In Diwali, lanterns symbolize the triumph of light over darkness. In Sweden, Saint Lucia’s Day features candles and lanterns as symbols of hope and warmth during the winter.
I really like the Chinese lanterns that fly but you have to be very careful not to start a fire. Lanterns on the ground are a bit safer.
"What multiculturalism boils down to is that you can praise any culture in the world except Western culture, and you cannot blame any culture in the world except Western culture." - Thomas Sowell
ReplyDeleteThat is so toxic and unhealthy it is completely untrue. The Canada Post stamps. They have one for the nativity and one for Hanukkah. Multiculturalism preserves Western society because it protects all cultures. This defiant hate for multiculturalism is a defiant hate for the Constitution and the Charter of Rights.
DeleteThe whole purpose of me highlighting how Christmas is celebrated in other countries is to show people here that the WEF hasn't killed Christmas in other parts of the world. It's still alive and well. That's something to celebrate. Let's try and be positive for a change instead of wallowing in toxic negativity.
"It is better to light one candle than curse all the darkness." Lao Tzu