Luminaria

Electrically lit luminarias are also used, consisting of a string of standard incandescent "Christmas lights" with the bulbs covered with a tan plastic sleeve, made to about the size and shape of a small paper bag.

Yet another form of luminaria, a small torch or large candle, is carried by the leader of the procession of Las Posadas,[4] a nine-day holiday running December 16–24.

[3] The name of the decoration is a long-running item of contention among some New Mexicans,[5] with written accounts indicating it was already a familiar topic of debate as far back as the 1940s.

[6][7] In Northern New Mexico, the term luminaria is reserved for a small festival or vigil bonfire,[8] a usage which dates back to the Spanish colonial period,[9] and the paper lantern decorations are called farolitos.

Luminaria in Spanish means "illumination", "festival light", or in ecclesiastical usage, a "lamp kept burning before the sacrament".

Strings of artificial luminarias, with plastic bags illuminated by small light bulbs and connected by an electrical cord, are also available, and are common in the American Southwest, where they are typically displayed throughout the year-end holiday season.

[23] At historic Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, metal luminarias decorate the grounds near the Church Office Building of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Tiny holes have been punched in the metal to create designs featuring scenes from the life of Jesus Christ and Christmas messages in a variety of languages.

[26] In West Valley City, Utah, luminarias are used to light the path during the Walk with Santa held the first Monday of December every year.

The American Cancer Society's Relay For Life fundraising events which are held all over the U.S. feature luminaria ceremonies.

In Champaign, Illinois, luminarias line South Willis Ave. between Springfield Ave. and John St. for one night each holiday season.

The Mount Lookout neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, has an annual luminaria Light Up Night, an event that began in 1975.

"[31] In the Village of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, luminarias line the 200 block of Taylor Avenue on Christmas Eve.

In some Southwestern states, such as Arizona and Texas as well as New Mexico, luminarias are also occasionally used as Halloween decorations, sometimes featuring jack o' lantern faces drawn on the paper bags.