luminaria

American  

[loo-muh-nair-ee-uh, loo-mee-nah-ryah] / ˌlu məˈnɛər i ə, ˌlu miˈnɑ ryɑ /

noun

plural

luminarias

1. (especially in Mexico and the southwestern U.S.) a Christmas lantern consisting of a lighted candle set in sand inside a paper bag.

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Etymology

Origin of luminaria

1945–50; < Mexican Spanish, Spanish: any lamp or lantern displayed during a festival < Medieval Latin, Late Latin lūmināria, originally neuter plural of lūmināris lamp; see lumen, -ar ¹

Example Sentences

Giant carnivalesque luminaria lights twinkled in jewel tones over rows of pews in the “Purgatory” room; later, Primal Scream performed.

From New York Times • Sep. 26, 2017

FRI Open house, dance performances, ethnic food bites, crafts, games, ukulele jam, luminaria labyrinth, caroling, pop-up shops, free photos with Asian/Filipino Santa, Caucasian Santa and African-American Santa, 5-8 p.m.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 1, 2016

SUN Decorate cookies and make holiday crafts, noon-5 p.m.; guided nature walks, 1, 2 and 3 p.m., free; Nature Store; follow luminaria lit path to see Christmas Ship Choir Performance, 3:55-4:15 p.m.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 1, 2016

Each luminaria symbolizes one casualty, as a bagpiper plays on a hill and thousands gather in remembrance before driving slowly through the park in the dark, headlights out.

From Washington Times • Apr. 14, 2015

Then, we went outside to put up luminaria, which is an activity where all our neighbors fill brown paper bags with sand and line the street with them.

From "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky