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Lighting the Way to Bethlehem: New Mexico's Farolitos and Luminarias |
| Section: CULTURE / HERITAGE |
| Author: Martha Oehmke Loustaunau |
| Publication: The world & I online |
| Issue Date: 12/1/1992 |
| Size: 3,000 Words, 17,316 Characters |
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Noche Buena. Christmas Eve. he weather is mild, almost warm, not uncommon for December in southern New Mexico. The sky becomes a huge sheet of deep blue velvet, dusted by icy sparks that glitter and wink over the desert landscape. As night advances, tiny soft golden lights begin to appear across the land, as if in answer to the heavenly display. People are lighting the luminarias. In the northern part of the state, where snow blankets the high mesas and the sharp air is rich with the scent of pinon, people begin to light the farolitos.
Though the names are different, the customs are the same. Quite literally, farolito is Spanish for "street lamp"--or, in this case, a small lantern usually made with a No. 10 brown bag that is turned down twice around the top for stability. Filled w...
. . .
... Jose, Costa Rica; Flat River, Missouri; and St. Simons Island, Georgia.
Whatever they are called--farolitos or luminarias--the little festival lights symbolize much more than decoration. They light the way to Bethlehem and guide the spirit of peace and love to our door. Evolving from ancient origins, they have become a universal gift to share, from New Mexico with love. Feliz Navidad!
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