The Ocracoke Health Center wants to light up the Pony Island Inn lawn for the holidays.
They plan to do that with a special luminaria fundraiser, “Lights of Love,” the night of Saturday, Dec. 20.
Each luminaria will celebrate a living person or honor the memory of a loved one, said Crystal Hardt, who is organizing the event as a fundraiser for the health center.
People interested in purchasing one or several luminarias for $10 each may do so during the Holiday Market Saturday, Nov. 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Ocracoke School Commons where the health center will be among 20 local vendors.
“Even if you cannot be here for the celebration, please consider purchasing some luminarias,” Hardt said. “This celebration is a special way of bringing your favorite place to you and yours for the holidays.”
Luminarias also will be available for purchase via PayPal, Square or Venmo or online. See flyers and order forms below.
Purchasers may drop forms off at the health center with the donation/payment, and all forms need to be returned with donations by Dec. 18.
Then, on Dec. 20, the luminarias will be placed in a pathway design in front of the Pony Island for people to wander through starting at 5:30 p.m.
A Blessing of the Luminarias and a Christmas carol sing along will follow at 5:45 p.m.
Attendees are asked not to park cars or drive on the Pony Island Inn lawn.
Refreshments of hot chocolate, coffee and cookies will be available for a donation that night in the Back Porch Lunch Box.
The Health Center will video the event and post it online on their Facebook page.
For questions, call Hardt at 252-944-5480.
According to the National Park Trust website, the luminaria tradition originated in 16th-century Mexico to light the path to Midnight Mass for the religious festival Las Posadas.
Initially, these were small bonfires, but the tradition evolved to use paper bags filled with sand and a candle, or farolitos, especially in New Mexico, to provide light and welcome during the Christmas season.
In Spanish, luminaria means “illumination” and farolito means “little lantern.”
Today, luminarias are used in a variety of celebrations, including Christmas, memorials and other events, and can be made with traditional candles or modern electric lights.
These decorative winter holiday lanterns are made with brown paper bags, which are filled partway with sand and a lit tea candle or small votive.
