FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS Villa de Leiva BOYACA

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS Villa de Leiva BOYACA

In Colombia, the night of 7 to 9 December is a unique time of year. 

Tonight, the city streets are flooded with lights and sidewalks, balconies and terraces of the houses are filled with candles. This is the traditional Night of the candles. 

At this time it is full of tourists from across the country to enjoy the spectacle and colorful Contest Games Pyrotechnics, in a magical setting of colonial streets. 

The Festival is an event aimed especially to families with children and is an excellent opportunity to feel the spirit of Christmas in Colombia, thanks to the varied program of the event: competition lanterns on display in the religious procession of the Immaculate conception, Christmas choir performances and of course, fireworks displays provided by the renowned polvoreros of Colombia. 

Best polvoreros comprise the various figures and participate in the competition, receiving scores in accordance with: 

luminosity, 

height, 

openness, 

creativity, 

sound effects, 

and duration of pyrotechnics. 

History of the Festival

The Festival of Lights in Villa de Leyva was created in 1986 in order to promote tourism in the region and rescue the tradition of Day of the Immaculate Conception, celebrated by the Catholic Church on December 8, with candeladas, the candles and lanterns. 

The night of the candles 

In the Catholic Church the candles spread in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the time when America was colonized by the Spanish who began to celebrate the religious feast of the Immaculate Conception in the New World, where fire that appeared during the holidays had more folk, fun and festive than religious and symbolic significance. 

The Night of the candles joined traditional religious festival, brought to America with candles, fire and all the festive significance of these peoples, giving the European celebration Dec. 8 Colombian heat and light.