Answers to Go with Susan Smith

Q. We moved here last December. I loved the luminarias, especially the ones with real candles. My parents will be visiting, and I’d like to make some with them. Can you help me find basic directions?

A. Luminarias are lovely outdoor Christmas decorations. Traditionally, they are made with brown paper bags, votive candles and sand.

To make one, turn over the rim of a brown paper bag to form a cuff which helps keep the bag open. Pour several inches of sand into the bag. Nestle the candle into the sand, and light the wick. The candlelight shining through the brown paper gives off a mellow, golden glow in the night.

Luminarias came to the American Southwest via Mexico, but their roots can be traced to China. In the 1500s, both Mexico and the Philippines were Spanish colonies. In the Philippines, Spanish traders purchased Chinese paper lanterns which were then imported to Mexico for use in holiday celebrations.

By the early 19th century, the lanterns had spread north to what is now the southwestern United States. Unfortunately, the delicate paper that surrounded the lantern frame didn’t hold up on the frontier. The settlers started to make their lanterns with plain brown wrapping paper which cast an amber glow that fit right in with southwestern architecture.

In New Mexico, these paper bag lanterns are called “farolitos,” which means little lanterns. In that region, the term “luminarias” refers to small bonfires made from piñon logs that have been stacked log-cabin fashion to form a box about three feet high. On Christmas Eve, these little bonfires blaze in front of churches and homes to enliven family celebrations and guide worshipers to Mass.

Source: “Encyclopedia of Christmas”