• About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
FREE REPORT
BEST PLACES TO RETIRE
*No spam: We will NEVER give your email address to anyone else.
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Panama
      • Portugal
      • Colombia
      • Northern Cyprus
      • Belize
      • Spain
      • Mexico
      • France
      • Indonesia
      • Vietnam
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
Live and Invest Overseas
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Panama
      • Portugal
      • Colombia
      • Northern Cyprus
      • Belize
      • Spain
      • Mexico
      • France
      • Indonesia
      • Vietnam
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
No Result
View All Result
Home Travel

Christmas Festival Of Lights In Medellin, Colombia

Peace, Joy, And The True Spirit Of Christmas In The City Of Lights

Wendy Howarter by Wendy Howarter
Dec 22, 2022
in Travel
0 0
0
Christmas lights in Medellin, Antioquia, Colombia 

Adobe Stock/camaralucida1

272
SHARES
3.8k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

France has the City of Light… and Colombia has the City of Lights…

Every December, Medellín, Colombia, is strung with millions of LED lights for its annual Christmas lights festival, named by National Geographic as one of the 10 best in the world. This season, city officials are expecting more than 4 million people to visit my sparkling new hometown.

Our holiday season here in Medellín officially began Dec. 7, with El Alumbrado Navideño, the simultaneous city-wide illumination of the millions of Christmas lights. The decorations will remain in place until mid-January, which means our holiday celebration lasts a full six weeks.

Where Can You Find The Biggest And Best Decorations?

Each year, Medellín’s power and water company, Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM), decorates the Medellín River and major roads in the downtown area with millions of colored lights, displays, and themed presentations…

Medellin’s Christmas lights and decorations come in many vibrant colors and designs, including; boats, waves, and fish.
Even tropical fish are illuminated as Christmas decoration

More than 100 other locations also decorate for the season. Smaller barrios decorate their plazas, parks, and churches with different themes each year.

Decorations In Envigado

One of our first years in Medellín, we were living in Envigado (a suburb) at the start of the holiday season. Parque Envigado was transformed into a fairyland. The church in the main plaza was adorned with sapphire blue and white stars and a 30-foot tree twinkled with hundreds of multi-colored lights.

There were vendors everywhere selling glow sticks, empanadas, buñuelos (similar to huge donut holes), juices, and other treats. Families with small children were walking, laughing, and greeting each other—all in short sleeves or light jackets as the temperature never drops below 60 degrees Fahrenheit in December.

Each street branching out from the park led to a different neighborhood, and each neighborhood was decorated in a different color theme. One area was red and gold, a second blue and green, another green and red, or maybe silver and gold. Some of the lights were formed into shapes such as stars, gifts, lanterns, or quarter moons. They flashed and shone in rhythms and patterns that dazzled the eye and slowed traffic.

Get Your Free ​Colombia Report Today! ​​​

Learn more about ​​​Colombia ​​​and other countries in our FREE, daily Overseas Opportunity Letter​​​​​​​​​. Simply enter your email address below and we’ll send you our FREE REPORT – ​​Colombia: The World’s Next Top Retirement & Investment Haven

Decorations In Downtown Medellín

After we moved to El Poblado, we took a taxi to downtown Medellín to walk along the river and view the most ornate Christmas displays. For more than a mile, the river was netted with lights mimicking the blues and greens of an electric ocean. On “shore” numerous platforms were transformed into different vignettes, each depicting the theme of personal values that lead to a peaceful world.

The themes of Gratitude, Generosity, Hope, Tranquility, Forgiveness, Tolerance, and Love were the highlights of the festival. These themes were chosen, in part, to encourage the ongoing peace talks between the Colombian government and rebel militia leaders in the far reaches of the jungles.

Christmas tree in Medellin, Colombia
A striking LED tree in the city’s center

The downtown displays culminated at a water park where small fountains were illuminated in changing colors, digital videos were projected against buildings and bridges, and children’s games and carnival activities were offered.

Local stores also sell artificial Christmas trees flocked with fake snow, which we find funny as it has never snowed here and we moved to Medellín specifically to avoid the snow.

The Religious Aspects Of Christmas

Of course, Colombian families cherish the religious aspects of Christmas, as well. For example, on Dec. 7, the Eve of the Immaculate Conception, Colombians celebrate the Day of the Little Candles (Día de Las Velitas).

Candles are everywhere—in windows, on balconies and porches, along sidewalks and streets, and in parks and plazas. The candles honor the Virgin Mary and her immaculate conception of Jesus.

Then, on Dec. 8, many houses hang white flags with the image of the Virgin Mary outside all day.

You can find buildings in Medellin decorated with Christmas lights that would even make the North Pole envious.
Medellín church illuminated in Christmas lights

Churches in Medellín are packed on Christmas Eve and Day. Many chapels have multiple services throughout the day to accommodate the devout and the not-so-devout who only visit on Christmas.

Otherwise, Christmas Day is spent with family and friends. The sidewalks are empty, except for those heading to and from church, and traffic is nonexistent. The city is tranquil.

Christmas is a magical time in Medellín, when more than 3 million residents come together as one big family to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Peace, joy, and the true spirit of Christmas abound.

Wendy Howarter
Full-time Medellín Expat

Tags: Christmas medellinfestival of lights Medellinlive Colombialive Medellintravel Colombiatravel Medellin
Share114Tweet66
Wendy Howarter

Wendy Howarter

Wendy Howarter was an attorney for 23 years until she decided there must be more to life than 60-hour work weeks and 10 days of vacation every year… to say nothing of looking beyond the many feet of snow and ice she had to shovel every year living in Illinois… So she left it all behind and retired (very!) young. After a lot of research and selling everything they could, Wendy and her husband Darren moved from northern Illinois to Medellín, Colombia, in 2014. She has now reinvented herself as a real estate investment guru and freelance writer and photographer who loves sharing her new home and new discoveries (in Colombia and beyond) with the world. At this time of retrospection, Wendy adds, “I can truly say that this adventure has turned out better than I ever expected…”

Related Posts

Old town of Colmar, Alsace, France 
Travel

4 Of The Strangest Christmas Traditions Around The World

by Kat Kalashian
December 23, 2022
0

'Twas two days before Christmas and all 'round the world, we creatures were stirring... Preparing for the big day, spreading...

Read more
Going In Search Of The Real Belize

Going In Search Of The Real Belize

December 18, 2022
Christmas tree with the gift of tropical resort on the beach

Christmas In Belize: 6 Quirky Traditions

December 14, 2022
The Eiffel Tower and vintage carousel on a winter evening in Paris, France

My Paris Bucket List: 7 Things To Do In The City Of Light

December 11, 2022
The Christmas parade Pase del Nino (Traveling Child) at historic center of city Cuenca

Celebrating Christmas In Cuenca, Ecuador

December 5, 2022
Man surfing in Playa Venao, Panama

Panama’s 6 Top Spots For Surfing

November 4, 2022
Celebrating fiestas patrias in Panama

Experiencing The Fiestas Patrias In Quebro, Panama

November 3, 2022

Start Your New Life Today, Overseas ...

A world full of fun, adventure, and profit awaits! Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we'll send you a FREE report on the 10 Best Places To Retire In Style Overseas Today.

LIOS Resources


  • New To LIOS
  • Ask An Expert
  • Media Center
  • Contact Us
  • FAQs

Quick Links


  • Best Places To Live
  • Best Places To Retire
  • Finding A Job Overseas
  • Real Estate

Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and get your FREE report: The 10 Best Places To Retire Overseas In 2023

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe

© 2008-2023 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Countries
  • Budgets
  • Archives
  • News
  • Events
  • Bookstore
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Members Area
  • Contact Us

© 2008-2023 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Download your FREE report on

The Best Places To Retire In 2023

New Year, New You, New Life Overseas

Sign up for FREE and learn how to live the good life on a modest budget, find bargain property, and more. Plus, check out our free report on the 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE.

RETIRE OVERSEAS AND LIVE LIKE ROYALTY