50 DECEMBER 2024 O ne of my favorite sights at Christmastime are the blazing lights from illuminated paper bags that line walkways and the tops of walls and houses. The Winter Solstice is the darkest time of the year, so lights and lanterns have been incorporated into winter traditions for hundreds of years. As darkness blankets the landscape, the magic of luminaries unfolds. The penetrating glow of the candles nestled within the paper bags illuminate their surroundings, casting a soft and serene ambiance. It’s not uncommon for people to stroll through the streets, reveling in the ethereal beauty that these luminarias bestow. There are many different aspects of luminaries, including what to call them. Before Christianity, pagans used to light huge bonfires on hills and mountain tops to celebrate feasts dedicated to the gods. Shepherds also lit bonfires to stay warm and scare away predators. As far back as the time of Mary and Joseph and the Christ child, these fires were symbolically lit to guide the Holy Family on their journey. Some believe a type of luminaria lit the way in Bethlehem. There are links to Hanukkah, when people mark the miracle of the container of oil that was only meant to last one day, but instead lasted eight. Hanukkah, known as the Festival of the Light, is celebrated with a muti-branched candelabrum and it’s the multiple lights and their use throughout history in guiding, saving and celebrating that cause some to see the candles as forerunners of luminaries. The first Franciscan padre to arrive in Old Mexico in the early 1500s described how the Indians of New Spain had begun to celebrate “the feast of the Lord, of Our Lady… with much rejoicing and solemnity.” Writing in the late 1530s, Padre Fray Toribio De Motolinia noted, “On Christmas night the Indians place many luminarias in the patios of the churches and on the terraces of their houses to resemble starry skies.” Mentions of the lights in the Rio Grande Valley came from a December 1590 journal of Spanish explorer Gaspar Castano de Sosa. He wrote of the lighting of fires along the trail to guide a scout back to camp. He referred to the fires as luminarias, establishing that as a name for the guiding lights, thereby casting the first stone in a 400-year-old, northern-versus-southern New Mexico debate over the little paper bags. A common thread between these traditions is the influence of Spanish colonization and the attempt to blend Roman Catholic tradition of Christmas into local cultures and winter traditions. Luminarias throughout history have been an ancient tradition of communicating, warning and celebrating through linked bonfires. The first luminaries were Sosa-style bonfires of crisscrossed pinon bark and dry wood arranged in three-foot-high squares. These were used until American settlers brought Chinese lanterns to Santa Fe via the 18th century Manila galleons and El Camino Real and introduced them to Mexico and New Mexico. In the Philippines, merchants of Spanish origins were doing business with Chinese traders. The Chinese had for centuries made festive lighting with colored paper a thing of great beauty. The Spanish traders liked what they saw and adopted the custom. Instead of hanging these delicate lanterns from trees or on wires, they were placed on the ground, on rooftops and along pathways. When square-bottomed paper bags were invented in 1872 and brought west on the Santa Fe Trail, people discovered they could put sand in the bottom of the bag and insert a small candle in the sand. This option was much more economical and efficient. Over the years, in New Mexico especially, there has been great controversy over what to call the holiday lights. The term luminaria in Spanish means “illumination.” North of Santa Fe they prefer to call the lighted bag farolitos, from “farol,” derived from the Spanish word faro, meaning lighthouse or “little lantern” and “luminaria,” the small stacks of firewood. In the 1930s, as more people got the paper-bag-bug, newspaper articles alternately called them farolitos, linternitas and farolillos. Whatever you choose to call them, they are all beautiful and have a similar meaning. Luminarias may have been adopted by Christianity; however, they are not unique to Christianity as light is a universal symbol of good, knowledge, hope and love. A sign of caring, peace, joy and blessings for the next year. In the process of this historic path, the traditions of China and Spain, Mexico and America all merged in these flickering lanterns we now see in many communities across the United States. Today the bags-and-candles tradition stretches from California to Maine, and around many other countries. The process of preparing and placing luminarias involves the collective efforts of community members fostering a sense of unity and shared celebration. It’s a wonderful way for families and neighbors to come together as a reminder of shared values that transcend cultural boundaries. This enduring tradition stands as a testament to the cultural heritage and resilience of the Southwest. December’s cookbook recommendation: “The Christmas Table” by Diane Morgan December’s novel recommendation: “The Heartbeat Library” by Laura Imai Messina December’s recipe: Cranberry Orange Scones May the spirit of the holiday bring forth light Thyme in My Kitchen BY SHERRY KLUSMAN thyme.in.my.kitchen Light is a universal symbol of good, knowledge, hope and love. Serving the Arcadia area since 1958            •  •    •   •          BOOK YOUR HOLIDAY BOARDING TODAY!! Member Since 1959 4855 E Thomas Rd, Phoenix AZ 85018 | ingleside.com HOSPITAL 602-840-3446 BRIAN A. SERBIN, DVM • FELICITY GESINA, DVM • MOLLY R. KLEIN, DVM HEBAH MOHAMED, DVM • EMMA SMITH, DVM • ASHLEY BROWN, DVM

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