Los Toribianitos, Mi Burrito Sabanero

Yesterday night I went to a "novena" or nine, which are supposed to represent  the nine days where the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary spent in prayer between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost Sunday.

I was invited by my Colombian friend, her husband Floyd and nano-Floyd (she's pregnant). They took me to a beautiful house by the Lakefront where her sister and her husband live. Around twenty Latin and American people were all siting down with sheets of paper all clipped together. 

They started reading the prayers on the sheets of paper by taking turns, in some of them we had to answer to, in some of them we got to sing. In the end, "Villancicos" or Christmas (Colombian I should specify) carols were sung, then we were all prompted to eat.

Giving people are amazing. A couple I had never met before invited me to today's novena at their house. Nine days of pot-lucks and canelazo, nine days where people gather for prayers and ask for the people they love, where they sing and reflect on their year, where they are thankful for what they are and not necessarily what they have.

And of course, since they are Colombians, music was played. I'm still receiving valuable pointers to the many ways of the Colombian music, the warmth of the Caribbean people and the amazing friendships which I'll always, always be grateful for.