Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Faralito or Luminaria

From Wikipedia "The name of the decoration is the subject of a long-running dispute in New Mexico. In general, farolito is the preferred term in Santa Fe and other parts of northern New Mexico, while the decorations are often referred to as luminarias elsewhere. In Spanish, the word farolito translates as "little lantern", while luminaria means "festival light". Historically luminaria referred not to a paper lantern but to a small festival or vigil bonfire; however, this distinction is not commonly made outside of northern New Mexico.New Mexico traditionalists insist that the entire rest of the world is incorrect in the use of luminaria to mean a paper lantern. Farolitos may be referred to as "luminarias" by some, but on Christmas Eve, when the farolitos are lit in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, luminarias (Posada vigil fires) are burning in the small mountain villages of Northern New Mexico. Luminaria bonfires made of square, stacked piñon and juniper wood can often can be seen lining the State highway north of Santa Fe where the highway passes through Espanola. In the mountain villages and by the roadways, families tend and gather around the warm fires and welcome passerby. The distinction still stands in practice, even if the nomenclature is become confused.

15 comments:

Siddhartha Joshi said...

Beautifully composed...

Rick Forrestal said...

Thanks for the clarification.
Interesting distinction.
Either way, I love 'em.

Lowell said...

We always called them "luminaries."

Birdman said...

I'd follow this path. Enlightening.

TexWisGirl said...

thanks for that education! really appreciate it!

Sharon said...

What a great explanation. I often wondered why they were called by two different names. Now I know.

Judy said...

An enlightening post, Randy!

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

I've always heard "luminara" so "faralito" was new to me when you first used that term.

William Kendall said...

They certainly are pretty, Randy.

RedPat said...

Who would have thought there would be such a controversy over such a beautiful thing, Randy! ;-)

Unknown said...

Love this farolitos series, all shots are great.

cieldequimper said...

Oh my goodness that's complicated. I wonder what Spaniards make of this! It's so pretty and warm!

Paul said...

I've never heard either name before but we don't have bag lights around here where I live... Sure are nice to look at, nice picture Randy.

Thérèse said...

I like the sonority of the word "faralito." It's sounds more romantic.

Duncan D. Horne - the Kuantan blogger said...

Ah lovely shot Randy! Wishing you all the best for the coming year

Duncan In Kuantan