Little Candles Day or Immaculate Conception Eve (Spanish: Día de las velitas) is a widely observed religious holiday in Colombia.

[1] On this night, people place candles and paper lanterns on windowsills, balconies, porches, sidewalks, streets, parks, and squares; in short, everywhere they can be seen, in honor of the Virgin Mary and her Immaculate Conception.

The celebration of the Night of the Little Candles dates to December 7, 1854, when Pope Pius IX defined as dogma the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, published in his Apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus.

In the municipality of Quimbaya, in Quindío Department the most important cultural event is the Candles and Lanterns Festival (full name in Spanish: Fiesta Nacional del Concurso de Alumbrados con Velas y Faroles), which began in 1982 and is held each year on 7 and 8 December.

Belief in the Christmas Panther (el puma de navidad) has developed throughout the history of the Quimbayan holiday known as the Alumbrado de Navidad (see Feast of the Immaculate Conception), celebrated on the 7th of December in recognition of the Roman Catholic belief in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Such religious syncretism is especially visible in the rural pueblos of Quindio where many residents claim full or partial descent from Quimbaya native peoples of the region.

In the Caribbean region of Colombia, the lighting of candles and lanterns takes place in the early hours of December 8, before sunrise, instead of the night before.