How to Learn About Festivals of Light

Nearly every culture has some sort of holiday or festival that revolves around lights like candles, lanterns, or even bonfires. Not coincidentally, most of these festivals seem to take place at the very darkest time of year, right around the winter solstice when days are at their shortest and nights are very dark and long. The festivals, and the lights themselves, are meant to remind us that once we get past this hump, longer (and warmer) days will return. Eventually, we will see spring again.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A candle, lantern, or even a flashlight to shine your own little light in the darkness
• A fire extinguisher (or some extra batteries) just in case

1. 
   A row of lighted diyas

   Discover Diwali, which occurs at the end of October or beginning of November, just when the days are starting to seem really short all of a sudden and we start to realize that winter is really here. This 5-day Hindu festival is known for the small clay lamps called diyas that are placed around every home.

2. 
   Floating the rafts

   Learn about Loy Krathong, celebrated in Thailand, usually in November. This festival involves lighting candles and then setting them on small rafts to float down a river.

3. 
   Eighth night of Hanukkah

   Have a Hanukkah party where you light a menorah. Read about the miracle of the Maccabees, where one night's worth of oil to light their lanterns somehow lasted for eight nights, as does the celebration in its honor.

4. 
   Display of farolitos

   Light up the farolitos (candles set in small paper bags) for Las Posadas. This outdoor pageant is performed yearly between Dec. 16 and 24th in Mexico and the southwestern US as a reenactment of Mary and Joseph's arrival in Bethlehem.

5. 
   Lighting the kinara

   Create a Kwanzaa kinara. This candle holder holds seven candles (three green, three red, one black) to celebrate the seven principles of Kwanzaa, and a new candle is lit each night between Dec. 26 and Jan. 1.

6. 
   A blazing longship

   Fan the flames at Up Helly-Aa. This celebration, held on the last Tuesday of January in the town of Lerwick in Britain's Shetland Islands, involves a torchlight parade culminating in setting fire to a reproduction Viking longship.

7. 
   Lantern Festival in Taiwan

   Light a lantern to welcome in the Lunar New Year. Although this 14-day celebration is actually meant to mark the beginning of spring, it is held in January and February so the lanterns and fireworks help to light up the dark nights.