However, Medellín is a city that never has snow, but that doesnt mean they never have the Christmas spirit. In fact, Medellín probably puts most countries to shame when it comes to the Christmas spirit. The detail, decoration, and adornments that fill the city is no short of impressive.
To start with, it seems like every neighbourhood, shopping mall, and institution gets covered in christmas decorations. Unlike in Canada where Christmas colours are normally represented by red and green (or blue and white for winter), here in Colombia any colour is fair game. In fact, the brighter the colours the better. The most impressive parts of the city (outside of the Alumbrados, which I will explain below) for me were the shopping malls, particular Santa Fe, which is close to my apartment. They had everything from hundreds of strings of lights hanging from the roof, to christmas trees, displays and even a skating rink right in the middle of the mall!! Check out some of the beautiful photos:
As mentioned above, the most impressive part of Christmas in Medellín is the tradition that starts at the beginning of December and concludes in the first week or so of January, it is known as the Alumbrados Navideños (Christmas Lights). This tradition has been alive for over 40 years, thanks to EPM (Empresas Públicas de Medellín, a utilities company) who has been responsible for adorning the city of Medellín with millions of lights every year, (around 16 million this year!!). They do everything from the design, installation, and of course cover the costs (which im guessing by the number of structures and lights they put up, it isnt cheap). The Alumbrados have become so well known that they are a major tourist attraction for locals and foreigners alike. Hundreds of paisas work tirelessly monthes before hand to create the lighting spectacle. From a personal experience, it was incredible to see. It is something NOT to miss if you are visiting Colombia in December! Check out some pics below!
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