Growing up in the United States, Christmas was a huge deal. It was centered around the decorations, lights, music, and especially the gifts. As a little girl, I was so excited to see what Santa Claus got me for Christmas and didn’t really focus on anything else. Although Christmas is technically a religious Christian holiday, I never saw it as one until my mom introduced me to a Colombian tradition called Novena.
The textbook definition of Novena is a traditional devotional praying in Christianity consisting of private or public prayers repeated for nine successive days or weeks. Nine days before traditional Christmas, each night there is a ceremony dedicated to praying and devotion to God.
To accommodate both my mom’s and dad’s traditions, we would celebrate both Novena and Christmas. My mother was passionate about passing this tradition down to my little sister and me since it was one of her favorites growing up in Colombia. When she moved here, she quickly acquired a small group of other Colombian families that celebrated the tradition together. It’s easily my favorite tradition to date.
The focus of Novena is prayer, but it is so much more than that. Each night it’s hosted in a different family’s house, and the host assigns the different activities that will take place. There is a potluck of traditional Novena foods including natilla, buñuelos, arepas, and empanadas, as well as treats including Bon Bun Bums, choco-mellows, cookies, and so much more.
The night starts off by slowly waiting for everyone to arrive (to be expected since everyone runs on Latin time). Once everyone is there and the appropriate amount of chisme (gossip) has taken place, everyone congregates around the manger and Christmas tree. Each person grabs an instrument or item to make noise with to join in with the singing portion of the Novena. The host then welcomes everybody and commences the Novena with a book of prayers which holds a specific reading for each day.
In our community at home, there are several mixed families of English and Spanish speakers, so the ceremony is repeated in both languages. No matter how old or young you are, or whatever language you are proficient in, we make sure you can participate. Each day tells a little portion of Jesus’s story leading up to his birth on Dec. 25. The story is continuously told until then and the same prayers are recited. There is a prayer to Jesus, Joseph, and Mary that is repeated all nine days.
Afterward is my personal favorite part, which is reading prayers that are poetic and set up in stanzas leading us to sing and chant with the musical instruments we selected in the beginning. Once the prayers have been read and the songs have been sung, we eat till we cannot anymore and finish the night by dancing without family and friends.
Looking back although it was fun dreaming of Santa Claus and the presents that awaited me, Novena will always have a much more important and impactful place in my heart.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Pinterest!