Hi everyone! I hope this Christmas season finds you all healthy and happy. I wanted to give you a quick update before Christmas and I am happy to report that our translation of our Dossier to Spanish was completed on December 4th! This took the one month that our agency estimated it would take. So things are moving on schedule.
During this time, our agency has been researching what our best options would be considering our child preferences. They have concluded that it would be best for us to be submitted to the ICBF (The Colombian Institute of Family Welfare). They feel there are more siblings waiting to be adopted than any of the Casa Privadas (Private Orphanages).
Once our paperwork has been submitted to the ICBF, we are told it has been taking them 3 to 4 months for them to review Dossiers. We then will receive a formal letter stating the age range and number of children they will be referring to us.
So it looks like we will not hear anything till sometime in March or April!
In the mean time the other day I was searching for information on the traditions of Christmas in Colombia. Here is some information that I found.
One person wrote:
“The main religion in Colombia is Roman Catholic. This affects the way they celebrate Christmas. The way Colombia is known to celebrate Christmas is similar to the United States but also different.
Nine days before Christmas, parties and religious observances begin. On Christmas Eve, families gather together and eat a large dinner. They also pray around "el pesebre" (the nativity), sing Christmas carols and exchange gifts. On Christmas Day, children receive gifts as did baby Jesus. Some even believe the gifts come from Jesus.”
Another person wrote:
“As in any Catholic country Christmas is an important celebration both for the common people and for the establishment. Principal celebrations start on December 16 with the beginning of the "Novena", a nine day count down leading up to the 25th, Christmas Eve. During these days people build altars in their homes with miniature figurines of the Christmas scene: The little hut with Joseph and Mary and the cradle which actually stays empty until Christmas Eve, when as part of the family celebration the little child Jesus is put into the cradle. Of course there is special food for the gathering which usually reunites the entire family. Gifts are exchanged at midnight and the bigger cities put up some fireworks.”
As I dream about the possibility of our children being home next Christmas, I am excited to learn about their Christmas traditions and share with them ours!
Merry Christmas and God bless everyone.
Love,
Donna
