People who live in the area of Albuquerque, New Mexico have a Christmas tradition of using luminaria on nights before December 25. Luminarias are a votive candle set inside a paper bag weighed down with sand. In 2022 Kate Nelson wrote in New Mexico Magazine, “The 2,000 luminarias, set and lit by hand, line the road up the mesa to Acoma Pueblo’s 370-foot-high Sky City. Inside the 1629 San Esteban del Rey Mission Church, tribal dancers pound their feet onto the dirt floor, commemorating the birth of the Savior. It’s a cherished Christmas Eve tradition in New Mexico, one that kicks off four days of celebrations at the pueblo.” Using luminarias is a ritual dating back to colonial Spain.
English publications about Christmas traditions in the southwest United States began using the term luminaria in the 1930s, which was appropriated from the American Spanish word luminaria, meaning a light placed in a window, balcony, or street, in recognition of a festival or holiday. The Spanish word was derived from the Latin luminare, an opening to let in light or a source of light. Luminaria was also used by Spanish speakers to indicate the light placed before the Communion Host in a church.
Today luminaria is used more broadly to refer to any candle lanterns lit for many occasions, such as memorials and weddings. Luminarias, purchased at many retailers, are used to light homes, sidewalks, stages, and pavements. Although luminarias are a lot more labour intensive than setting up solar lights, the effect is wonderous.
The use of luminarias and other types of candles has long been associated with Christmas celebrations. In Sweden, St. Lucia’s Day, December 13, marks the beginning of the Christmas celebrations. On that day the eldest daughter of the family traditionally dresses in a white robe and wears an evergreen wreath crown studded with candles. The festival is meant to bring hope and light during the darkest time of the year. Schools often close around noon on the day of the festival so that families can prepare for St. Lucia’s Day. Baked goods, such as lussekatter (saffron bread) and ginger biscuits are given out. Many Swedes would find it sacrilege to eat lussekatter at any other time than on the pre-Christmas days starting with December 13. To drink, you’ll sip little cups of glögg (mulled wine), served with almonds and raisins.
St. Lucia (died 304 AD) was a martyr who was one of the earliest Christian saints to achieve popularity. She fell victim to the wave of persecution of Christians that occurred late in the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian.
In Sweden there are “Luciatåg” processions telecast on national TV, in schools, care homes, churches, and offices across the country. The defining feature is a lit-up wreath on the top of the head of the one portraying St. Lucia. Traditionally, real candles were used, but for safety reasons they’ve been replaced by battery-powered ones. And the same goes for those carried by the handmaidens, who typically wear glitter or a wreath in their hair and a decorative red ribbon around the waist. Star boys wear white – just like Lucia and the handmaidens – with cone-like hats and star-adorned sticks. The lantern-carrying gingerbread men sport full gingerbread costumes, complete with white icing.
One of the many Lucia concerts this year will be broadcast online via SVT Play and you can follow the celebrations from abroad. The national Lucia concert will take place at Sala Silvergruva. You can stream the Lucia concert on 13 December 2024 (Sweden is 7 hours ahead of Saskatchewan time zone).
Another Lucia concert, held at the Unesco World Heritage Site of Grimeton Radio Station, will be shown as a live event on Facebook on 13 December.
During this darkest time of the year, festivals of light and luminaria bring a sense of hope and joy. The celebrations of the coming of the Christ Child are illuminated with candles to inspire faith for the year ahead and joy in the eternal life He comes to bring.
