Have you ever share a novena with a colombian family?

Colombiche says on Dec 16, 2007, 15:13:

I remember the novenas as a kid in Manizales. Each day it would be held at a different house. It was a social event. We would gather round the pesebre and one of my aunts would start reading from the little booklet:

"Ven hermoso nino, ven Dios humanado, brilla hermosa estrella, brota flor de campo"

Then would come the chants "Ven ven ven... ven nuestras almas..."

Us kids would play along with flutes, maracas and panderetas made out of wire and coca cola caps. We sounded like cats on a tin roof, but we felt like stars.

They would pass the novena booklet around and all the grownups would take turns reading. Sometimes the older kids would get the priviledge of "encabezar una estrofa de la novena".

There was always the drunk uncle who would show up halfway through the novena and start singing like a goof to make us kids piss our pants laughing.

We would eat bunuelos with coca cola, the growups would have tintico and the drunk uncle would polish off another bottle of guaro.

No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Dec 16, 2007, 15:16:

gezz i have to post video of the novenas in VILLAVICECNCIO or the area where my mother lives, they are out of this word!!!!!.. Will tell my husband to edit the video soon,

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Colombiche says on Dec 16, 2007, 15:18:

Did you guys ever pray "Los mil Jesuses"... God that was torture.

All 15 of my old aunts and grandaunts would sit around reciting "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus...". Half of them wore dentures so "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus" ended up sounding like "Eusseuseusshhhhshhshhshhshhhhsshshhsshhhshhshhs".

No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)

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Simon says on Dec 16, 2007, 16:50:

I'm about to participate in a novena right now.

"Tu vas a ver, llegaras a mi edad y veras que Colombia seguira igual"-----Simon Sr.

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Monpirri says on Dec 16, 2007, 17:36:

I was invited to two novenas and I missed them both, well soon I will discover a real novena.

Annette Taddeo for US Congress 2008

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goin_south says on Dec 16, 2007, 18:09:

That's bad luck, isn't it?
Missing two novenas that you were invited to, in a row?

Where do we go from here?

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Monpirri says on Dec 16, 2007, 18:14:

I know life is a beach!

Annette Taddeo for US Congress 2008

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LilaM says on Dec 16, 2007, 18:33:

jajaja the mil jesuses ajajajja that's fun ejjeje, well I just finished our novena, praying for all of you sinners ajjajaj, well it was fun, we hire a guy with a guitar and we sang as sheeps ajjaja, but it was fun anyway, tomorrow work grrrrr I forgot that I had to come back to real life, well anyway is nice to be with the family, and enjoy the time together, i miss my sis, my nephews and nieces, and my daughter... big family, big time anyway, I cannot wait for the veinticuatro and the treinta y uno with the año viejo, soon I'll post pictures of that.

"You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don´t try" B. Sills

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goin_south says on Dec 16, 2007, 18:55:

I hope you mentioned monpirri's name several times...
He's in for trouble...

Where do we go from here?

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LilaM says on Dec 16, 2007, 19:08:

jajaj I don't know what about those thousand jesuses I'll check about that why they do that a long time ago, jejeje maybe praying on the holy week, lets see

"You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don´t try" B. Sills

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goin_south says on Dec 16, 2007, 19:29:

jaj.. U can C... I wasn't raised catholic.. but, I do enjoy the peace/quiet/solitude, in the middle of the day, of setting quietly for a few moments in one or more of the beautiful churches of Colombia.

...stilll... prayers for monpirri.. he's in real trouble, I believe.. missin 'two novenas in a row to which he was invited'... he has other problems... he doesn't need what's now likely gonna happen to him.. Holy Moses Monpirri! why did you do that???

Where do we go from here?

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john_stark says on Dec 16, 2007, 21:51:

We have a somewhat similar event here called Las Posadas. They are coming to our house on Wednesday.

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goin_south says on Dec 17, 2007, 00:20:

What? Is that a new mejicano musico grupa? Las Posadas?

Where do we go from here?

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john_stark says on Dec 17, 2007, 06:07:

In a nutshell:

"Every home will have a Nativity scene, and the hosts of the Posada act as the innkeepers. The neighborhood children and adults are the pilgrims (Peregrinos), who have to request lodging by singing a traditional song about the pilgrims. All the pilgrims carry small lit candles in their hands, and four people carry small statues of Joseph leading a donkey, on which Mary is riding. The head of the procession will have a candle inside a paper lamp shade, or "farolito".

The pilgrims will symbolically ask for lodging at three different houses, but only the third one will allow them in. That will be the house where the Posada will be held for that evening. Once the "innkeepers" let them in, the group of guests come into the home and kneel around the Nativity scene to pray (typically, the Rosary). This is followed by the singing of traditional Christmas songs and a party for the children, including a piñata."

Lucky us. We're the third house.

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manINred says on Dec 17, 2007, 07:05:

h

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Mononoke28 says on Dec 17, 2007, 09:02:

We started the novena yesterday at my house but it wasn't as fun as it was when I was a kid.

We also pray the Mil Jesuses in May, I think it's May 2nd.

Diana

Diana

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slguy says on Dec 17, 2007, 09:13:

Being a non-catholic sort, I'm a little confused. The novena is that thing in stages, no?

Does it have anything to do with all those stages depicted in the salt mine north of Bogota?

Before you throw me out, make sure I pay my bar tab

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Dec 17, 2007, 10:04:

I used to go to the novenas just for the Ice cream.

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john_stark says on Dec 17, 2007, 21:53:

We have some ice cream for you, Kat. And a pinata too.

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Mononoke28 says on Dec 18, 2007, 08:46:

slguy,

A novena is a form of praying that is done in nine consecutive days, the word novena means nine. You do this either to ask for a special favor or to pay homage to God or a particular saint. During Christmas time, Catholics pray a novena 9 days before Christmas Day to celebrate the birth of the Baby Jesus. In Colombia is usually done at someone's house and the hostess/host will have traditional food there for the people who go, usually buñuelos with natilla or empanadas. Children are also given small treats and they get to sing. It's pretty fun.

Diana

Diana

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slguy says on Dec 18, 2007, 08:50:

Thanks, Diana.

I guess that thing in the salt mine is more about Easter than Christmas, then...

Before you throw me out, make sure I pay my bar tab

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Strobers says on Dec 18, 2007, 11:13:

Yeah John, we do the same thing. My friend makes this huge production where the entire neighborhood gets involved. It's so realistic that I'm waiting for Jesus to make a real appearance in some form. The Posadas really is a lot of fun and has a lot of real, spiritual meaning.

"Life is too serious to be taken seriously"

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Dec 18, 2007, 12:16:

John they don't have piñatas in Novenas, duh..

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dwmte7 says on Dec 18, 2007, 16:21:

i do the novena for various occassions with the wife and youngest daughter. outside of that, the last 'family' novena was a death novena for my cunado who was popped by sicarios... just didn't want to go. sorry, no report.

dwmte

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dwmte7 says on Dec 18, 2007, 16:25:

btw...that's not a bullshit post. i was stayin up in the finca and my wife and daughter were with the family in envigado...i called to ask stella if she and laurita were comin up for the weekend and she whispers..."...i can't talk, there's a novena for carlos..." "what?" "what happened to carlos?" she just hung up.

that weekend when they came up to llano grande, i asked stella, "what happed to carlos?" "i dunno." "what do you mean you dunno? your brother's dead and you don't know what happened?" my daughter pipes in, "....quatro muchachos en motos vienen a la casa y matar carlos, papa." enough said.

dwmte

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LilaM says on Dec 18, 2007, 17:33:

Well actually the novena meaning is joy for the birth of Niño Dios, who actually is the one that brings the presents for the kids on christmas tiem, not like some people do with Santa. Jajajaja the funny thing is that the kids are very smart know so they keep asking, hey mom why my presents were brought by Niño Dios and my friend Juanito got them from Santa?, and my spanish friend got his from Reyes Magos and later than me?? that´s a hard thing to handle jajaja. But anyway you try to evade the question just to keep the dream alive. At the end they look at you and ask... Mom can you tell Santa that those jeans that he gave to me are very tight!! jejeje Guess what!!! They already knowwwww!!!. Kind of disappointing at the end but that´s the real life. Jajaj I remember that once I wrote the letter to "Niño Dios" swearing that I´ll be a good girl but I wanted him to bring me a Monaretta (Bycicle very fancy at that time) but anyway, at the bottom I knew that it was my Dad and he hide the bike very well. So at 12 in the night the present suddenly came out, at the end I said to my self, well Niño Dios existssss. But the dream just lasted like 2 months more. jajaj

"You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don´t try" B. Sills

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john_stark says on Dec 18, 2007, 17:39:

Yes I know they don't have a piñata. Which is why our posada is a lot more fun for the kiddos.

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slguy says on Dec 18, 2007, 17:45:

I gotta ask. What shape's that pinata, JS?

Before you throw me out, make sure I pay my bar tab

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john_stark says on Dec 18, 2007, 17:52:

It's your classic donkey. I don't think I want to get sacrilegious with this crowd.

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goin_south says on Dec 18, 2007, 18:03:

classic?
no .. Juan Valdez or
Modefoque Special Series Burras?

(Oh, and we're real proud of ya, for resisting the temptation of puttin up the babyjesuspiñata, J_S)

Where do we go from here?

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dwmte7 says on Dec 19, 2007, 07:27:

damn, g.s. your mean......

dwmte

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