My First Dia de las Velitas in Colombia as an Indian Husband

Three weeks ago, I moved to Colombia with my Colombian wife, Luisa. After years of long distance and then two years of married life in India, we started a new chapter together in her home country. Colombia now feels like home, at least for the next year or two.

I knew this move would challenge me. I expected language struggles, cultural confusion, and moments of homesickness. I did not expect that my first deep cultural experience here would come through something so warm and meaningful: Dia de las Velitas 🕯️ Day of Lights.

Luisa, her family, and I on the night of Dia de las Velitas.

Spending the Day at the Family Farm

We spent Dia de las Velitas at Luisa’s family farm. Several of her uncles and aunts live nearby, so everyone gathered there to celebrate together.

What surprised me most was that the celebration did not start in the evening. It started the day before. Family members arrived early to begin preparing food. Everyone had a role. Some cut vegetables. Others prepared meat. Someone always seemed busy in the kitchen.

I quickly learned something important. Colombian celebrations take time, patience, and teamwork.

Food at the Heart of the Tradition

Each family prepared something. There was natilla, buñuelos, potatoes, morcilla, cake, and aguardiente. The list kept growing as more dishes appeared.

I joined the food preparation process, even though I barely knew what I was doing. Still, nobody rushed me or corrected me too much. They explained, laughed, and kept going.

Being part of the cooking made me feel included. I was not just observing a tradition. I was contributing to it.

Coming from India, this felt familiar. Food often brings families together back home too. Celebrations rarely happen without hours of preparation and shared effort.

That connection made everything feel easier to understand ❤️

Luisa's uncle stirring the Natilla.

When the Candles Were Finally Lit

As night arrived, the mood shifted. Everyone gathered outside. Candles appeared everywhere. People lit them carefully and placed them in the patio and open spaces.

The farm looked completely different under candlelight. The atmosphere felt calm, warm, and deeply human ✨

People prayed together. Music played in the background. Some danced. Others talked and laughed while enjoying the food that everyone had prepared together.

It felt intimate and joyful at the same time!

Diwali 🤝 Dia de las Velitas

As someone who grew up celebrating Diwali in India, the candles felt familiar. Light often represents hope, protection, and new beginnings in many cultures.

Still, Dia de las Velitas carried a different energy. It felt slower and softer. Nobody rushed. Nobody tried to impress anyone. Everyone simply shared the moment.

After hours of cooking, most of them stayed in their comfy clothes, being too tired to change. It's not about the glitter; it's all about just being together.

That simplicity really touched me.

Being the Outsider Again

Living in India with Luisa taught me what it feels like when your partner becomes the outsider. Now, the roles have switched.

I spoke broken Spanish. I asked questions that locals probably found obvious. Yet nobody made me feel out of place.

Luisa’s family included me in every part of the celebration. From cutting vegetables to lighting candles, they treated me like family. That generosity meant more than words can explain.

Intercultural marriage constantly shifts who adapts and who supports. That balance keeps the relationship grounded 💆

Missing Home While Building a New One

As the candles burned, I thought about my family in India. I remembered Diwali nights filled with lights, sweets, and noise. I felt a small ache in my chest.

Moving countries creates emotional contradictions. You feel gratitude and loss at the same time. You feel excited and lonely in the same breath.

That night helped me accept those mixed emotions. I did not need to replace my Indian traditions. I could carry them with me while making space for Colombian ones.

Luisa and I with some of the candles.

Traditions Create Big Belonging

Dia de las Velitas does not rely on grand gestures. It relies on presence. Time. Shared effort.

As someone new to Colombia, I felt rooted for the first time that night. Not because I understood everything, but because I participated.

I now understand why Colombians protect this tradition so fiercely. It connects families. It slows life down. It reminds people who they are.

Looking Ahead

This was my first Dia de las Velitas, but it's just the first of the festive traditions here in Colombia. I look forward to celebrating the Novenas, Christmas Eve, and the New Year in the upcoming days and weeks.

Living in Colombia will challenge me in many ways. Still, if the rest of this journey carries even half the warmth of that candlelit night on the farm, I know we made the right choice.

For now, I feel grateful. Grateful for love, for light, and for the courage to build a life across cultures 🕯️❤️

About the Author

Aswin Raghav is one half of Masala. He's futuristic, passionate, and calm, hailing from a rather not calm metropolitan city in Tamil Nadu, India. Living for more than 5 years in an intercultural and interreligious relationship with a Colombian 16,000 km away, he has acquired a decent understanding of love, travel, and culture.

In his other life, Aswin has been a National-level Athlete, Marketer, and Sustainability Advocate with a bachelor's degree in Business. Thanks to his business program, he won a US Government scholarship to study Entrepreneurship for a year in the US.

Love, cricket, business plans, and a thousand miles later, he decided to start a community online to share his experience through Masala of Cultures, along with the other half of Masala, Luisa.

Aswin's insights can also be found on other parts of the internet, including NVCC and SSR.