“Wow” was my first reaction upon seeing Envigado in December. I’d never seen anything like the lights strung above the streets. Since all Colombian cities, towns, and pueblos feature a main square, it’s possible to have a high concentration of lights and decorations in one spot. The effect when walking around can be overwhelming!
By comparison in the USA, where so many people live in the suburbs, everything feels more spread out. Towns like the one where my parents live in Fairfax, Virginia decorate, but to a lesser degree than what I saw in Envigado.
On Wednesday, December 8th, Colombians celebrated the Immaculate Conception, a Catholic holiday in honor of the Virgin Mary. On both the night before, and the 8th, families and friends gather outside their homes to light candles, talk, eat, drink, and enjoy their day off from work.
Walking through the neighborhood of La Magnolia, the atmosphere was amazing – all the home decorated for Christmas, the candles leaving a warm glow along the sidewalks, people out having a good time, and happy to talk to myself, Mike and Leif who were out and about taking photos of it all.
Absolutely beautiful….you gotta love the tropics.
The ‘wilting flowers’ in the second last pic are probably flowers from the borrachero tree. They are used by shamans to brew a psychedelic beverage that helps them to travel to the spirit world and heal their patients.
Thanks Yamile. Are they called trumpet flowers? Looking back at that photo, I do remember them as having psychedelic properties.
yep, they are also called trumpet flowers 🙂
Very nice! I wish I’d stayed long enough to see some of these lights. I only got a small taste in Bogota.
(BTW, photos 1, 3 and 7 aren’t displaying for me. )
Thanks Wil, I’ll fix the three photos you mentioned.
My employer matches 6%. I currently contribute 10%.