😅 Well, I was going to make a joke about counting down to the start of Navidad in Medellín, because decorations start showing up in stores around a week after Feria de las flores ends (so, early September), but... I literally got my first invitation to Nochebuena (the 24th is a big event here) this morning.
So it is ON baby.
Christmas is already here. 🤣🎄
(A very sweet old lady, always asking when I'll visit her for lunch in her barrio. I do need to take her up on this sometime.)
Ha! And I'm annoyed that the Halloween stuff is already in the stores. And I love Halloween. So do they have the spooky and Christmasy stuff on display at the same time in Colombia? Or is Halloween less commercial there?
Halloween is much less prominent here when it comes to home decorations. (Although there are literally religious fairs for the devil in some towns here, so it's not *just* Catholic beliefs about the demonic downplaying the event!)
Just a few types of candy are ever on display in stores, because it's safer to take kids to mall-based events and go out as a family to eat in a street fair setting nearby.
(Too many rough or very poor barrios for a trick-or-treat culture in full.)
They are indeed!
They make up for the paucity of libraries as third spaces; they create space for free activities, Sunday masses, and Saturday JW meetings; they're safer spaces for withdrawing money and taking care of payments; and they make streets around them safer for parties and parades.
But I'll also stress the poverty dimension; going door to door in some barrios is tough, because people really don't have the coin to spend on Halloween. So, dignity is preserved this way, too. 👍🏻
I was so curious about the mall masses I watched a video. The priest explained people liked the convenience of it (mass, a workout at the gym, a quick snack, and some grocery shopping all in one place), and families felt the background noise made it easier for them to have their young children with them, so they were more likely to attend. Really interesting.
@MLClark
Ooh, that's interesting. Malls seem to be social hubs in a different way than they are here.