When you combine the Chiva with (the celebration before the Day of the Little Candles), you get a mobile disco of epic proportions. Decoding "Juliana Navidad": The Night of Candles and Vodka Most Colombians will correct you: The correct name is "Día de las Velitas" (Day of the Little Candles), celebrated on the night of December 7th . This is the unofficial start of the Christmas season in Colombia, a religious tradition where families light candles and paper lanterns on sidewalks, balconies, and windowsills to honor the Immaculate Conception (December 8th).
If you have seen videos of a brightly painted wooden bus rocking back and forth while people scream, dance, and pour Aguardiente down their throats—all under a canopy of flashing lights—you have witnessed the "Chiva Culiona." And the "Juliana"? That is the December 7th celebration that kicks it all off. Juliana Navidad A La Colombiana Chiva Culiona
Will you get motion sickness? Probably. Will you lose your favorite jacket? Almost certainly. Will you wake up on December 8th with a headache and a thousand new memories? Absolutely. When you combine the Chiva with (the celebration
It is the juxtaposition of a child lighting a paper lantern on a quiet street corner and a bus full of adults screaming the lyrics to "El Hijo de Tuta" while hanging off a railing. If you have seen videos of a brightly
This article is your definitive guide to understanding, enjoying, and surviving a "Juliana Navidad A La Colombiana Chiva Culiona." To understand the phrase, you must first understand the vehicle. A Chiva is a traditional Colombian bus, typically used for rural transport. They are old school buses (often originally from the United States in the 60s and 70s) that have been refurbished, painted in bright primary colors—red, blue, yellow, and green—and adorned with murals of coffee farmers, orchids, and national heroes.
"Juliana" is a colloquial, slightly mischievous term used in urban Colombian slang (particularly in the Andean region around Bogotá and Boyacá) to describe a massive, raucous party that starts on the night of December 7th and lasts until dawn on December 8th. While the grandmothers are lighting candles, the younger generation is saying, "Vamos a la Juliana."