Fountain Hills Holiday Luminarias

Luminarias at the Desert Botanical Garden.

Overview

An amazing accomplishment is performed each year in Fountain Hills over a three day period in late December when the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce hosts the 'Lighting of the Holiday Luminarias.' At first glance this wouldn't seem very impressive until you realize there are tens of thousands of luminarias lit along miles of streets, avenues and walkways. The Luminarias used in Fountain Hills are small brown paper bags filled with sand to keep them open and in place. A lit candle is then placed on top of the sand within the bag gently illuminating the translucent bag. Depending on the year, these luminarias are placed around Fountain Lake, the walkways in Fountain Park and many of the streets near downtown Fountain Hills including Avenue of the Fountains and Saguaro Blvd.

What are Luminarias?

Luminarias are a centuries-old Hispanic ornamental tradition. Although they sometimes are a lantern or a small light, typically they are constructed as the Fountain Hills Luminarias are made: with a lit candle in a brown paper bag with sand or dirt to stabilize them. Although traditionally they are of significance to Hispanics and Roman Catholics during Christmas, they have become more of a secular decoration over the last few decades, especially in the Southwest. During the winter holidays some Santa Fe style homes in Fountain hills are decorated with a plastic version that is illuminated by a small light bulb.

How it's done

At the start of the three evenings that the Luminarias are lit in Fountain Hills, dozens of volunteers from the Fountain Hills set up the decorations by hand. This is often done using teamwork: one person pushes a wheelbarrow full of sand, while another opens and sets bags down, and another person puts some sand in the bag. Another volunteer then sets a candle gently on the sand while a final person lights the candle. Other teams opt to assemble the Luminarias ahead of time and place them on trays for easy deployment. After the first night only a new candle is needed as long as a storm hasn't passed through since the prior night.

A Beautiful Walk in the Park

The tremendous efforts of all those volunteers payoff with the arrival of dusk. The gently flickering Lumiarias poke through the darkness like thousands of little campfires. The best place to experience the serenity and beauty of the Luminarias is to take a walk around the Fountain Lake. On a quiet, windless night the reflections of the Luminarias off of the lake is an incredibly tranquil sight.

Luminarias on walkway, wall, and structure. (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

Holiday in the Desert

Being a desert community, Fountain Hills rarely gets snow. If snow does fall, it blankets the surrounding mountains and rarely the community itself. On the rare occasions when it reaches Fountain Hills streets, it quickly disappears with the morning sun. The Holiday Luminaria tradition adds a bit of holiday spirit to the community providing that 'Holidays are here!' cue that snow often provides in colder climates. Between the luminarias, the residents' own holiday decorations, and the lighting of the Avenue of the Fountains (Strollin the Glow), the town always has a "home for the holidays" atmosphere in December but without the bitter cold.

When and Where