Christmas Lighting Traditions
A look into various Christmas lighting traditions from different cultures
Christmas lighting is a tradition just about everywhere. Candles, icicle lights, chaser lights and luminarias are just a few examples of many different types of Christmas lighting.
Laura Legend discovers Christmas lighting traditions…
Christmas lighting traditions vary from culture to culture and country to country, and even family to family. However, at Christmas time, Christmas lighting can always be expected.
Let’s take a look at some of the different types of Christmas lighting customs and traditions around the world…
In Japan you will usually see Christmas lighting on trees consisting of lanterns and miniature candles. In Greenland candles are used as Christmas lighting as well.
In Ireland Christmas lighting traditions include lighting candles to symbolize hospitality to commemorate Mary and Joseph’s struggle to find a place to stay in Bethlehem the night of Christ’s birth. The lit candles are usually placed in the window in Irish homes.
A unique Christmas lighting tradition…
In Canada a candelabra with 25 small candles surrounding one large candle is central to a Christmas lighting tradition. The small candles are lit for loved ones and the central candle for Jesus.
Once the center candle is lit, the Happy Birthday song is sung for Baby Jesus. This is a Christmas lighting tradition that holds true the purpose of the holiday.
The story behind the luminarias…
Luminarias are popular Christmas lighting in the Southwest United States and Mexico. Today’s luminarias resemble paper sacks with lit candles in them; however, most now contain electric lights but give the same impression as the old time candle lamps.
Luminarias are Christmas lighting placed around the edges of buildings, yards and walkways in a line. The Christmas lighting tradition has been linked to French and German settlers in the United States who lit bonfires along the river to symbolize lighting the way for Mary and Joseph, and later, for PaPa Noel (i.e. Santa).
However, some sources attribute the tradition of luminaria Christmas lighting to Mexico where luminarias, also known as Farolitos, were used to light the path for people to find their way to Midnight Mass.
They come with the Mexican celebration of Las Posadas, a tradition brought to Mexican Indians by missionaries, which is a reenactment of Mary and Joseph’s search for accommodations in Bethlehem.
Originally bonfires were used to light the path in the Christmas lighting celebration, later farolitos, which were paper bags containing a candle were used. Now, electric luminarias are most common for Christmas lighting that commemorates the celebration of Los Posadas.