LUMiNARIA - A New Mexican Tradition to Light the Way for the Christ Child

Walk way up to our front door. Red is a lighted Chile Ristera.

Lumineria = a candle in a brown paper bag. In some areas they are called Farilitos.  

Front walk out to sidewalk.  We are on a corner and the house faces the side street.

Front Sidewalk

Side sidewalk and driveway

Blessed Mother in our backyard.  We put candles every year for my oldest son - Stevie, my Mom and Dad and Gene's Mom & Dad.

Just one bag - It is a plain, brown lunch bag with the top folded down.  We put out 100 bags every year.

There is sand / dirt in the bottom to help hold it open.  The candle is a special votive candle that is alot harder than regular votives. It burns into itself and will burn for at least 10 hours. 

In New Mexico the folks in adobe houses line the edges of the roofs, whole neighborhoods do them, and all the graves in  the cemetery in Gene's hometown -Belen- are edged with the luminerias.  Albuquerque has tours of the Old Town and Country Club areas. Tickets are sold out almost right away.  

We took the tour one year and the parade of buses and cars seemed to be endless.  We sang Christmas carols and drank hot spiced cider.  It was a very memorable event that happens for one night only  - on Christmas Eve just to LIGHT THE WAY FOR THE CHRIST CHILD!!.