luminaria

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 24, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>luminaria</strong> &#149; \loo-muh-NAIR-ee-uh\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p>A luminaria is a lantern—traditionally used in Christmas celebrations in the southwestern U.S.—that typically consists of a candle (or its electric analogue) set in sand inside a paper bag. <em>Luminaria</em> is also broadly used to refer to a similar lantern lit for other occasions, such as memorials or weddings. Both <em>luminarias</em> and <em>luminaria</em> are acceptable plural forms of <em>luminaria</em>. </p> <p>// One of Anna’s favorite Christmas Eve traditions is lighting <em>luminaria</em> with her family to line their driveway in a festive display. </p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/luminaria">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>“A cherished tradition, Las Noches de las Luminarias at the Desert Botanical Garden is a great spectacle. As one of the garden’s longest-running events, it invites visitors to wander along trails decorated with thousands of twinkling, hand-lit <em>luminarias</em>.” — Karee Blunt, <em>The Courier-Times</em> (Roxboro, North Carolina), 17 Oct. 2023</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>The tradition of lighting small lanterns on the night (or nights) before Christmas is an old one in what is now New Mexico, dating back to when the region belonged to colonial Spain and later to independent Mexico. Where one lives in New Mexico today, however, often determines what these paper lanterns are called. New Mexicans in the northern part of the state, around Santa Fe, call them <a href="https://www.newmexico.org/holidays/luminaria-vs-farolito/"><em>farolitos</em></a>, Spanish for “little lanterns.” Those further south, around Albuquerque, are more likely to call them <em>luminaria</em> (or <em>luminarias</em