Luminarias vs. Farolitos: Meaning, History and How to Light Them on Christmas Eve

Luminaria or farolito: the short version

There are two things and two words, and they overlap. The paper lantern is a brown paper bag, its top folded down once or twice, with two or three inches of sand in the bottom and a votive or tea light candle standing in the sand. The bonfire is a small square stack of split piñon or pine, built log-cabin style to about knee height and lit after dark.

In Santa Fe, Taos and northern New Mexico, the paper lantern is a farolito and the bonfire is a luminaria. In Albuquerque and the south, the paper lantern itself is the luminaria, and many people never use the word farolito at all. Neither usage is a mistake. They are two regional habits that grew up side by side.

Outside New Mexico, the word luminaria has spread with the paper lantern. Cities in Arizona, Texas and across the Southwest line walkways with lit bags at Christmas, and charity events elsewhere use the same bags, often decorated, to remember people. Most of those organizers call them luminarias.

The north-south naming divide in New Mexico

New Mexico's state historian, Rob Martinez, describes the split as a north-south line running roughly along La Bajada, the escarpment between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. South of it, luminarias are paper lanterns; north of it, luminarias are bonfires that light the way to midnight Mass, and the lanterns are farolitos. Martinez has said plainly that the reason for the divide has been lost.

The vocabulary itself is easy to read. Luminaria comes from the Spanish for illumination, a word for festive lights in general. Farol is a lantern or lamp, and farolito is its diminutive: little lantern. In Santa Fe the distinction is a point of local pride, and residents correct visitors with good humor. In Albuquerque, the city's own Christmas Eve tour of lit neighborhoods has long been called the luminaria tour.

If you are writing a card, giving a talk or labeling a photograph, a safe rule is to use the word of the place you are describing. If the place is unknown, "luminarias and farolitos" covers both and offends no one.

Where the custom comes from

The honest answer is that the paper lantern's origin is not recorded. Martinez calls it folk history, and the written record is thin. What can be traced are three strands that came together in New Mexico.

The first is fire as festive light. The earliest written reference to festive luminarias in New Mexico dates from 1748, when a Franciscan friar described celebrations for a new Spanish king; historians read this as bonfires. Bonfires to mark feast days and to light the way to church are common across the Spanish-speaking world, and in New Mexico they became attached above all to Christmas Eve and the midnight Mass, the Misa de Gallo.

The second is the lantern. Spain had a long tradition of street and festival lanterns, and Chinese paper lanterns reached Mexico through the Manila galleon trade from the late 1500s on. From Mexico City, goods and customs traveled north along the Camino Real to New Mexico. It is plausible, though not documented step by step, that lantern customs came the same way.

The third is the paper bag, and it is the most recent. Mass-produced flat-bottomed paper bags became widely available in the United States only in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, after the Santa Fe Trail and then the railroad had tied New Mexico to American trade. A cheap bag, a handful of sand and a candle made a lantern any household could afford. That is why the paper farolito, for all its old-world feeling, is a post-Civil War invention, while the bonfire custom is probably much older.

What the lights mean

The traditional explanation, still given in parishes, is that the lights guide the Holy Family to shelter on the night before Christmas. This connects them to Las Posadas, the nine nights from December 16 to 24 when processions reenact Mary and Joseph's search for an inn, often walking past or between lines of lanterns. On Christmas Eve, the last posada ends at the church, and the lights show the way.

A second, practical meaning is hospitality. Before electricity, a lit path told neighbors that a house was open, and bonfires kept people warm as they walked to midnight Mass and caroled from house to house. Many families still gather around the luminaria fires after dark with hot cider, biscochitos and conversation.

A third meaning is newer and personal. Lining a path or a roofline is slow, physical work, often done by the whole family in the afternoon of December 24. For many New Mexicans, the act of setting out the bags is the tradition, a way of honoring the people who taught them and, at memorial events, people who have died.

Luminarias and farolitos compared

Luminarias and farolitos side by side

	Farolito (north)	Luminaria (south)	Luminaria bonfire (north)
What it is	Paper bag, sand, candle	Paper bag, sand, candle	Small square stack of piñon or pine
Where the word is used	Santa Fe, Taos, northern villages	Albuquerque, Las Cruces, most of the Southwest	Santa Fe, Taos, northern villages
Documented since	Late 19th century (paper bags)	Late 19th century (paper bags)	Festive luminarias recorded from 1748
Where it stands	Walls, walkways, rooftops	Walls, walkways, rooftops	Street corners, plazas, church entrances
Main risk	Wind, dry leaves	Wind, dry leaves	Open fire, sparks

Where to see them on Christmas Eve

Santa Fe: The Canyon Road Farolito Walk on Christmas Eve is the best-known event in the state. The street is closed to cars, galleries and homes are lined with farolitos, and small luminaria fires burn along the way. Expect crowds and cold; dress for freezing temperatures at 7,000 feet.

Albuquerque: Old Town and the historic neighborhoods around it put out thousands of bags. The city has for decades run a Christmas Eve bus tour of lit neighborhoods, and tickets usually sell out early. Many residents simply drive or walk their own streets after dusk.

Smaller towns and pueblos: Northern villages and several pueblos light bonfires for Christmas Eve Mass and for dances on Christmas Day. These are community and religious events, not shows. If you visit, follow posted rules, ask before photographing and never photograph where it is forbidden.

Outside New Mexico, look for luminaria nights in Arizona, Texas and Colorado, and at botanical gardens and historic districts across the country in December. They are often organized by churches or charities.

Safety: sand, wind and real flame

Each farolito is an open flame inside paper. The tradition works because the bag is weighted with sand, the candle sits low and the paper never touches the flame. The U.S. National Fire Protection Association reports that December is the peak month for home candle fires, so the basics matter.

Use at least two inches of sand. Fold the top of the bag down once to stiffen it. Choose short votives or tea lights in metal cups, never tapers. Set bags at least a few feet from anything that burns: dry grass, leaves, wooden fences, curtains, cars. Do not use them on windy nights; a gust can tip a bag or blow the flame into the paper. Never leave them burning when nobody is home or awake, and put them out before bed.

Battery-powered candles in paper bags are safer and are now common on rooftops and at public events. They lose the flicker but keep the look. For a luminaria bonfire, check local burn rules first; many cities restrict open fires, and drought years bring outright bans.

Quiz: which Christmas Eve light fits your home?

Answer four questions to see which form of the Christmas Eve light suits your space.

Voices from practice

Families who put out farolitos every year often say the afternoon of folding bags and filling them with sand is the part they remember, more than the evening itself. Children who did it with grandparents tend to keep doing it as adults.

People who walk Canyon Road or the Albuquerque neighborhoods on Christmas Eve commonly describe the silence as striking: thousands of small flames, no music, just voices and footsteps.

Those who have moved away from New Mexico frequently report setting out even a short row of bags in another state, and having to explain to neighbors what they are.

What we don't promise

We do not promise that farolitos protect a home, guide spirits or bring blessings. They are a devotional and hospitable custom with a real history, and their meaning comes from the people who light them and the story they carry. A candle can mark an intention; it does not carry it out.

We also do not settle the name debate. The history above shows two regional usages, both legitimate. Anyone who tells you only one word is correct is describing their own town.

Practically: how to work with this

1. Pick the place. A walkway, wall or roofline that is clear of dry plants and away from cars and doors.
2. Gather supplies. Small brown paper lunch bags, clean sand, short votives or tea lights in metal cups, a long lighter.
3. Prepare in the afternoon. Fold each bag's top down once, pour in two to three inches of sand, press a candle upright into the center.
4. Space them. About two feet apart along the path, or one at each step and corner.
5. Light at dusk. Traditionally at sundown on Christmas Eve. Some families say a short prayer or name the people they are welcoming.
6. Watch the weather. If the wind rises, put them out. Use battery lights on breezy nights.
7. Put them out before bed. Pinch or snuff each one; never leave them burning unattended.
8. Keep the sand. Dry it and store it in a bucket for next year. Many families reuse the same sand for decades.

If you want more Christmas Eve fire traditions, Louisiana has its own: the bonfires on the levee that light the way for Papa Noël. And if the welcome-light idea speaks to you all year, our house blessing ritual gives it a simple form.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between luminarias and farolitos?

In northern New Mexico, farolitos are paper bag lanterns with sand and a candle, and luminarias are small bonfires. In Albuquerque and southern New Mexico, the paper lanterns themselves are called luminarias.

Why are luminarias lit on Christmas Eve?

Traditionally to light the way to midnight Mass and, in the religious explanation, to guide the Holy Family to shelter. They also signal that a house is open to visitors.

How old is the farolito tradition?

Festive luminarias, probably bonfires, are recorded in New Mexico from 1748. The paper-bag lantern dates from the late nineteenth century, when mass-produced paper bags became available.

How much sand goes in a farolito?

Two to three inches, enough to hold the candle upright and keep the bag from blowing over. Fold the top of the bag down once to stiffen it.

Can I use battery candles?

Yes. Many New Mexicans use them on rooftops and at public events because they are safer. They keep the look of the tradition without open flame.

Where can I see farolitos in New Mexico?

The Canyon Road Farolito Walk in Santa Fe and Old Town Albuquerque on Christmas Eve are the best known, along with many neighborhoods, villages and pueblos.

Sources & further reading

• Albuquerque Journal. Luminarias or farolitos? State historian Rob Martinez sheds light on a New Mexico holiday tradition. December 18, 2025.
• Office of the State Historian, New Mexico. Farolito or Luminaria? newmexicohistory.org, accessed 2026.
• KOB 4. The history and name debate around New Mexico's iconic paper lanterns. Accessed 2026.
• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Candle fires: facts and safety tips. Accessed 2026.
• Tourism Santa Fe. Farolito photos and Christmas Eve on Canyon Road. santafe.org, accessed 2026.