The "novena" is a Christian tradition that consists of saying prayers (or the rosary) for 9 consecutive days. It is usually done before Christmas or Easter or to ask God for particular graces.

In Italy we don't follow this tradition so much at Christmas, but here in Colombia it is a tradition that everyone follows!

Every year from December 16 to 24 we generally get together with family or friends to pray the Novena all together, eat something typical like buñuelos y natilla and take advantage of the fact that we are all together!

In Colombia the Christmas novena is called "Novena of Aguinaldos", which in addition to being celebrated here is also celebrated in Ecuador. In addition to reciting a prayer, typical Christmas songs called "Christmas carols" So:

Each day the subject of the prayer changes, and they are usually:

• A prayer for each day;
• Thoughts of the day;
• A prayer to the Blessed Virgin;
• A prayer to Saint Joseph;
• Joys or dreams for the arrival of the Child Jesus;
• A prayer for the Baby Jesus

Spending this time of year in Colombia is one of the most beautiful and exciting experiences!

In our school Nueva Lengua together with our students we will celebrate a novena next week, an opportunity to be together and live together one of the most beautiful traditions of our culture!

Remember that our school never closes, only on December 25 and January 1, so if you want you can spend the whole Christmas period with us!

We are waiting for you!

This article was originally written in Italian