New Year's Day in 🇨🇴 Colombia

Ano Nuevo in Colombia is inseparable from the broader Feria de Cali, a week-long salsa festival that runs from December 25th to January 1st. Cali, the salsa capital of the world, transforms into a city-wide dance party, and New Year's Eve is the festival's climax.

Colombian New Year's traditions are vivid and symbolic. Families craft Ano Viejo effigies, life-sized dummies stuffed with old clothes, newspapers, and sometimes fireworks, which are burned at midnight to symbolize the destruction of the old year. The effigies often caricature politicians, celebrities, or unpopular figures.

Food traditions include lechona (whole roast pig stuffed with rice and peas), natilla (custard), bunuelos (cheese fritters), and tamales. Aguardiente (anise-flavoured liquor) is the drink of choice, and toasts are made with great enthusiasm.

On January 1st, Colombians observe customs believed to set the tone for the year: wearing yellow underwear for prosperity, carrying an empty suitcase for travel, and placing twelve grapes in a glass of champagne. Many families attend Mass and then gather for a leisurely almuerzo (lunch) before the relaxation of the holiday week that follows.

The first day of the Gregorian calendar year, celebrated worldwide with fireworks, parties, and resolutions marking fresh beginnings on January 1.