Farolitos or Luminarias? - This Day (Christmas Eve) in New Mexico History

Christmas Eve on the Enchantment Chronicles. The Men of Enchantment discuss the hotly debated Christmas Even tradition of the "Farolitos v. Luminarias". What do you call them?

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the Enchantment Chronicles.
It's Today in New MexicoHistory.
Today is December 24th, 2024.
Christmas Eve, drew Luminarias.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
but the famous book is Farolitos for Christmas by
Rudolfo Anaya, UNM professor.
What do you say, Johnny?

Speaker 1 (00:33):
I say Luminarias.
I'm from the south, deep south,the far south, Las Cruces, and
we say Luminarias.
In fact, I never had heardFarolitos, really, until I moved
northward to Albuquerque.

Speaker 2 (00:49):
Yeah.
So what is the restaurant?
In Spanish, el Farol, up inSanta Fe, and a farol is a
lantern, so farolito meanslittle lantern, but luminaria
just means Illumination inSpanish.

Speaker 1 (01:05):
Light, and so a little, a little light, a little
lantern.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
All right, and presumably everybody that's
listening to a New Mexicohistory podcast knows the
tradition about the the lightingthe lanterns before.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
I use at this point in my life I use electric
farolitos luminarias.
I think they're calledluminaries at Lowe's Kind of
funny, but we use that now butwhat it is?
It was traditionally a lightingof the way for people at night
and there's arguments on howthey were made, but really I

(01:45):
think it was stacks of wood andthen they would be lit so people
knew how to get somewhere.

Speaker 2 (01:54):
A stand-filled paper bag.
Over at the hospital where Iwork they have something they've
made in appreciation of thedifferent units and departments
that take care of people at UNMHOn that walkway.
But it's everywhere, right, infact.

(02:17):
The Weekly New Mexican wrote In1864, as the natural darkness
of night sets in the whole cityand suburbs around light up with
a blaze of light.
So this tradition goes backcenturies.
And you're right, originally itwas small stacks of wood, just

(02:37):
little fires you could get awaywith in the desert, then candles
candles in that paper bag.
It actually was patented in1872, johnny, according to the
National Park Service.
So that's when we switched fromstacks of pinon bark and dry
wood to those little candles.

Speaker 1 (02:59):
Those little candles in the bags that you have to
fold down, which is always apain.
Yeah, you have to fold it downwithout ripping the bag.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
Yeah, yep, it says it may have originated in 1590,
when Gaspar Castaño de Sosa'smen led some to guide a scout
back to their camp.
Guide a scout back to theircamp, but in the New Mexican

(03:30):
Catholic traditions they wereoriginally only lit on Christmas
Eve, symbolically, maybe,guiding the Holy Family on their
journey, but practically, yeah,guiding people to maybe the
church for Mass or to a homethat's having an open house.
So those traditions camethrough here.
The pueblos would performtraditional dances, and that

(03:53):
tradition is actually spreadacross Latin America, but it may
be originally from New Mexico.

Speaker 1 (04:01):
Well, on that note, Merry Christmas or Feliz Noche
Buena, or whatever you HappyHanukkah.

Speaker 2 (04:11):
Yeah, yep, and if you want to hear more about that,
tune back in tomorrow foranother day in New Mexico
history.
Spend another five minutes ofyour holiday with us.
All right, thank you everybody.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
Adios.

Speaker 2 (04:26):
Adios, adios.