In a diverse country such as Colombia, you will find different kinds of weather according to the region you are visiting, different dishes, different dialects (over 70 dialects) and diverse traditions of observing a holiday such as Christmas.
Christmas in Colombia is a fun celebration that gathers the family with the community, as there is a sense of sharing with the community during the Christmas seasons. That sense of sharing has its roots in the Catholic Church, since the Catholic community has made a lasting mark in Colombia history from the colonization of the Spaniards five hundred years ago.
There is a lot to talk about the Christmas in Colombia; although there are traditions that rule the celebration, there are some variations across the territory. No matter where you are traveling in the country you will see customs such as the letter to El Niño Dios (Transl. Baby God, or Baby Jesus, there the equivalent to Santa Claus) or the Aguinaldos, which are an exchange of gifts between family members or friends. For the children who believe in El Niño Dios, they receive their best gift on the 25th and not earlier because they expect to see the gifts they wanted most brought by El Niño Dios.
Today, Christmas is more colorful than ever; many capital cities invest in decorating the city with regional themes, mix international traditions such as lighting a Christmas Tree (something that wasn´t done until the late 90´s) in public places or the children taking a photo with Santa Claus (a tradition that started in Bogota eight years ago in a shopping mall). Things weren´t done before due to strong religious beliefs, but now people are more open and celebrate different holiday traditions with more respect than years before.
But what are those traditions you will find unique to Colombia? To start, the first tradition is linked to the table; yes, we can’t speak about traditions, if we don’t mention the typical dishes that are served on Christmas Eve. The most well known is the Natilla Dessert, which is a dish made of eggs, milk and sugar, served mostly in the Central Region. Another dessert is El Tres Leches (Transl. Tree Milk Dessert) which a dessert made of milk and sugar, and is really popular among with children due to the sweet flavor and the jelly texture.