THE HISTORY OF LUMINARIAS

Although many people associate "luminarias" with the holiday lighting of candles placed in small, brown, sand-filled bags, luminarias first appear historically around the 16th century, as a Spanish tradition of lighting bonfires along the roads and churchyards to guide people to Midnight Mass on the final night of the celebration of Las Posadas.

The night of Las Posadas (Spanish word meaning lodging or inn) is a traditional, festive celebration that first introduced to the native people of Mexico by European missionaries, and is the reenactment of the story of Mary and Joseph's search for lodging in Bethlehem. The tradition continues into modern times. The decoration of rooftops, walls, sidewalks and driveways of individual homes with luminarias is used as a way of guiding travelers to their destination.

The candlelit brown paper bags are also called "farolitos," the Spanish word for little lanterns. In the early 19th century, U.S. settlers on the Santa Fe trail brought Chinese paper lanterns to hang from their portals and light their entranceways. They were beautiful but expensive, and eventually, the paper bag version became the tradition.

Today, luminarias and farolitos have become an American holiday tradition and a southwestern tradition of welcome. As well as the traditional paper bags with candles, modern day versions also include the electric luminarias or farolitos.

Some people in the Southwest call the paper bag lanterns luminarias, while others insist the correct term is farolitos since "luminarias" were the bonfires lining the roads. Whatever you choose to call them, honor the history of luminarias by setting some out this Christmas and adding a new tradition to your holidays regardless of where you live.

Information courtesy of www.ishopsouthwest.com. You must include the link if you use this text.

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