How to Make Luminarias: Let's Get Glowing!

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Creating Traditional Paper Lanterns for the Holidays

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Brighten the night! Here’s how to make luminarias in 3 steps. Luminarias are twinkling paper lanterns that add a festive touch for Halloween, Christmas, or a party—especially during the darker nights of late autumn and winter.

What Are Luminarias?

Traditionally, the Spanish used luminarias around Christmastime; they lit the way for the Christ child, welcoming Him to the world. Hundreds of years ago, luminarias were small bonfires of crisscrossed piñon branches built in three-foot-high squares. After the Spanish explorers discovered the Chinese paper lanterns, the paper bag approach was adopted.

luminarias in the town center

Today, luminarias are still popular in New Mexico and the Southwest—and we’re seeing them pop up elsewhere, too! They have a certain glowing magical quality about them, don’t you think?

luminarias on the ground

Simple Luminarias in 3 Steps

Make the most simple, traditional luminarias with brown or white paper lunch bags.

  1. Fold each bag at the top, then fill each with a couple of cups of sand.
  2. Add a votive candle! For safety, many folks now use a flameless LED votive candle or solar-powered light.
  3. Place the bags on steady ground along pathways.

If you use real candles, be extra vigilant, especially if there isn’t snow on the ground.

luminarias in front of a church

Reusable Luminarias

  • Collect large metal juice cans.
  • Punch holes in the sides of the cans using a nail or hole puncher.
  • If you’re handy, you can punch out designs such as stars.
  • Next, paint the cans with flat black paint. (Spray paint makes this easy, but use cautiously with small children around.)
  • After the paint dries, pour 2 inches of sand into the bottom of each can. Settle a votive candle into the sand and light it.

vase filled with water and candles with apples near it

The Magic of Candles

Here are other ways to bring candlelight into your home.

  • Float tea lights in shallow bowls of water, along with some flower petals.
  • Use small terra-cotta pots as candle holders. Paint them with craft or fabric paint and add a votive candle or tea light. (If you have used pot, consider cleaning them first)
  • To make any candle a scented candle, add a drop of essential oil to the melting wax just next to the wick. Consider cinnamon, frankincense, myrrh, pine, or bay for traditional holiday fragrances.

What about you? Do you use candles to illuminate the holiday season?

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
 

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