FLIC Luminaries is proud to announce the creation of National Luminaria Day™, a new annual observance founded in 2026 by David Bayouth of FLIC Luminaries in Wichita, Kansas.

The inaugural National Luminaria Day will be celebrated on Saturday, December 12, 2026, and each year thereafter on the second Saturday in December.

And participating couldn't be simpler.

Light at least one luminaria.

It doesn't have to be a FLIC Luminary. It doesn't have to be plastic. It doesn't have to be electric. Traditional paper luminarias, reusable luminarias and other forms of this beautiful tradition are all welcome.

Just light one.

Why Create National Luminaria Day?

I've spent more than 25 years in the luminary business, and somewhere along the way I came to realize that helping the luminaria tradition grow matters to me even more than simply selling our own product.

I've watched luminarias bring neighborhoods together. I've seen them illuminate university campuses, botanical gardens, churches, businesses and community celebrations. I've seen them used to welcome people, celebrate holidays, raise money, honor loved ones and remember those we've lost.

And I've come to believe something very strongly:

If someone makes their own luminarias, wonderful. If they buy paper luminarias from another company, wonderful. If they have reusable luminarias they've been putting out for years, wonderful.

The purpose of National Luminaria Day isn't to tell people what kind of luminaria to use.

It's to encourage more people to light one.

— David Bayouth
Founder, National Luminaria Day™
FLIC Luminaries

A New Day Celebrating a Much Older Tradition

The tradition has deep roots in New Mexico and the American Southwest and is closely associated with Christmas, community gatherings and centuries of Southwestern history. Regional terminology varies, too. In parts of northern New Mexico, the familiar paper lanterns are often called farolitos, while luminaria is more commonly used elsewhere.

National Luminaria Day isn't intended to settle that terminology, redefine these traditions or claim ownership of them. Quite the opposite. It exists to celebrate, preserve and encourage them.

Those interested in learning more about the history and terminology can read the National Park Service's history of luminaria traditions.

This Day Belongs to Everyone

National Luminaria Day is not intended to be a FLIC-only celebration.

We hope it will eventually include individuals, families, neighborhoods, churches, schools, universities, botanical gardens, hospices, memorial organizations, nonprofits, businesses, historic properties, municipalities and entire communities.

Paper luminarias are welcome.

Reusable luminarias are welcome.

Long-established community traditions are welcome.

Brand-new traditions are welcome.

No purchase from FLIC Luminaries is necessary to participate.

If you light a luminaria, you're part of it.

Why the Second Saturday in December?

We chose the second Saturday in December because it gives National Luminaria Day a predictable place on the calendar while keeping the observance on a weekend when families, neighborhoods and organizations can participate together.

We also discovered something wonderful while researching the idea: many established luminaria traditions around the country already take place on or near the second Saturday in December.

In other words, National Luminaria Day™ isn't trying to force luminarias onto an arbitrary date. It is arriving on a weekend when many communities are already carrying the tradition forward.

The inaugural observance will be:

Tradition. Community. Celebration. Remembrance.

There doesn't need to be a single reason for lighting a luminaria.

You might light one because your family has done it for generations.

You might light one to welcome neighbors.

You might line an entire street with them.

You might illuminate a church, garden, business or community gathering.

You might light one in celebration.

You might light one in faith.

You might light one in memory of someone you love.

Or you might simply put one outside because a small light on a December evening can make the world feel a little warmer.

At Dusk, Light One

Although we call it National Luminaria Day, the moment we're really looking forward to comes as daylight fades.

On the second Saturday in December, set out your luminaria. Then, when dusk arrives where you live, light it.

As darkness moves across the country, luminarias can begin glowing from one time zone to the next—one home, one street and one community at a time.

What Happens Next?

This is only the beginning.

We'll be building NationalLuminariaDay.com as a home for the observance and inviting communities and organizations around the country to participate.

Just as importantly, we want to learn about and recognize the people and organizations that have already been keeping luminaria traditions alive—some for decades and some for generations.

We hope National Luminaria Day eventually becomes a way of connecting those traditions while inspiring entirely new ones.

FLIC Luminaries may be helping establish the day, but we don't want to be its boundary.

We want everyone in.

December 12, 2026 — Light One

You don't need thousands of luminarias.

You don't need hundreds.

You don't even need a dozen.

Start with one.

Put it outside your home. Light one for somebody you miss. Light one with your children. Ask your neighbors to join you. Help your church, school or community start a tradition.

However you participate, we'd love to see that little light spread.

And if a few million people eventually decide to do that on the same night, imagine what that night could look like.

National Luminaria Day was founded in 2026 by David Bayouth of FLIC Luminaries in Wichita, Kansas. The inaugural National Luminaria Day will be observed Saturday, December 12, 2026.