Night of Lights in St. Augustine
seen all over the United Kingdom. Ordinary people perform these dramatizations of folk tales as a fun way to break away from the stress of the holidays. Perhaps one of the darkest traditions takes place on the night of December 5th in many of the Alpine Countries. On this night, St. Nicholas leaves candy in the homes of the good children and a birch switch in the homes of the naughty. His evil assistant, Krampus, a half-goat–half-demon monster, punishes naughty children with the birch switch. Similarly, in Iceland, the Yule Lads are giant trolls that live on a desolate mountain. During the 13 days before Christmas, the lads leave candy and toys in the shoes of well-behaved children. But watch out if you’re naughty – you’ll get a rotten potato instead. In Italy with La Befana, a broom-riding old woman in a black shawl delivers gifts to good children and lumps of coal to the bad. Fortunately for them, the coal is lumps of sugar candy coated in black food coloring. Our voyage of discovery takes a turn back to North America and the annual Cavalcade of Lights in Toronto, Canada. This event, which first took place in 1967, marks the start of the Holiday Season as nearly 300,000 lights illuminate City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square from the end of November to New Year’s Eve. Not to be outdone by our neighbors to the north, there are many unique holiday celebrations in the United States. For example, the Lighting of the National Hanukkah Menorah has taken place annually since 1979 on the grounds of the White House in Washington DC. But, I feel it is especially significant to share one that is in our own backyard, the 28th Annual Night of Lights in St. Augustine. Based upon the Spanish tradition of displaying a white candle in the window during the holiday season, spectators can view a wonderland of millions of twinkling white lights adorning the buildings of America’s oldest city. The Holiday Season is a time for thankful reflection, celebration, and growth. I hope you enjoyed the mini-tour of the world and the ways in which people of all cultures and countries celebrate this most wonderful time of the year. Happy Holidays! Vince Philip moved from Staten Island, New York to DeLand, Florida over 20 years ago. When he is not working as a marketing and graphic design professional, Vince enjoys traveling, writing and boardgaming.
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