Welcome to Bogota
Off to a new continent: South America!
Messy Suitcase headed to Bogota, Colombia, for a pre-Christmas interlude. We stayed at the edge of the charming old Candelaria neighborhood, in an AirBnb with a panoramic view of the city. Because of the timing of our visit, in December, we were lucky to witness firsthand Colombia’s Christmas traditions, which transformed Candelaria into a giant street party complete with candles, music, Christmas lights, vendors, street chalk drawings, performances, crowds and fireworks.
The Christmas season officially launches for Colombians on Dec. 7 with the Dia de las Velitas, or Day of the Little Candles. On this day Colombian families, mostly Catholic, light hundreds of little candles and place them in the streets in front of their homes, to light the way for the Virgin Mary to bless them. Then Christmas is celebrated gaily along Carrera Séptima Septima (Seventh Avenue) for the next two weeks as Bogotá is transformed into a festive haven where locals and visitors alike are experience multimedia, theatrics, shows, music and more.
We visited the main square, bopped around town, and then took a tour of the stunning Chase Sapphire lounge at the airport!
INFO:
Visit Bogota website - https://visitbogota.co/en/blog/all/your-home-shines-its-brightest-at-christmas--the-magic-of-this-season-arrives-in-bogota-all-4570
The Culture Trip - https://theculturetrip.com/south-america/colombia/articles/how-to-celebrate-christmas-in-colombia
MAP - https://maps.app.goo.gl/Aa6vvfC8kSBauVRq5
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