A long standing tradition in our neighborhood has been the lighting of candles in white paper bags called luminarias on Christmas Eve. A few years ago this neighborhood tradition was changed to take place on December 21 for the Winter Solstice.
From grammerist.com – “luminary vs. luminaria”: A luminaria is a small paper lantern, often simply a brown lunch bag or a white bakery bag weighted by a quantity of sand. Inside, a votive or other small candle is placed to illuminate the lantern. Luminaria are often stunning when used to line walkways and streets. The luminaria originated in the Southwest region of the United States and is a Mexican tradition. Luminaria is a borrowed or loan word, taken from Spanish. A borrowed or loan word is one that has been taken from another language and used as an English word. The plural form of luminaria is luminarias.
We had a good turnout of participation from the neighbors on our street this year and it made for a festive winter evening. Here are some pictures from December 21, 2020 looking up and down our street including our holiday lighted front porch.
Beautiful! A lovely neighborhood tradition.