If you’ve lived in New Mexico or visited the state during Christmas time, you’ve seen houses or buildings adorned with paper lunch bags illuminated by tiny candles, usually leading to the front doorstep of a house or church. The tradition dates back hundreds of years — long before disposable paper bags were invented — and likely came from the practice of lighting tiny bonfires to help nighttime travelers find their way home in the dark. In northern New Mexico they call them “farolitos,” probably from “farol,” the Spanish word for lantern or lighthouse. Folks in Albuquerque, on the other hand, usually use the word “luminaria,” which means “light” in Spanish.
On Dec. 12 The National Hispanic Cultural Center is celebrating the holidays with a big family event featuring a modern take on the old New Mexico tradition, and they’ve come to a clever compromise about the name. The centerpiece of the gathering will be the world’s largest “luminito,” a 20-foot-tall, steel-reinforced structure inspired by New Mexico’s favorite holiday lights.
The event will be “lit” to say the least. In addition to the giant luminito, the Center will be decorated with holiday lights and images projected onto the buildings surrounding the NHCC’s Plaza Mayor. The projected lights will remain at the Center during evenings throughout the holiday season. The free event will have other entertainment that blends old and new customs including the Matachine dance, a cultural dance performed from Peru to northern New Mexico for over three centuries. There will also be food trucks, holiday refreshments and a flashlight story walk featuring Rudolfo Anaya’s illustrated book The Farolitos of Christmas: A New Mexico Christmas Story that might shed some light on the debate.
The celebration will be outdoors, so bring warm, comfortable clothes, good walking shoes and your best flashlight.
First Annual Luminito Celebration
7 p.m.
Dec. 12
National Hispanic Cultural Center Plaza Mayor
1701 Fourth St. SW
Free