A special celebration in paradise
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Sanibel Community Chorus at the Bailey’s Center.
CRAIG GARRETT
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Marcia Hock (left) and Lillian Decker warm up before a carol singing at the Sanibel Historical Museum & Village.
CRAIG GARRETT
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Luminary visitors on Periwinkle Way. Left: A traditional Christmas tree at the Sanibel Historical Museum & Village.
CRAIG GARRETT
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Finnian Walters (left) and Chuck Bergstrom at Luminary.
CRAIG GARRETT
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A regular at the Sanibel Historical Museum & Village.
CRAIG GARRETT
Sanibel celebrated its annual holiday tradition with the 30th Luminary Festival. The event on Dec. 5 featured song, sparkling light displays, shopping, holiday activities, general family fun beginning at sunset. Luminary is a tradition dating to a time when fires were lighted as beacons for travelers. Bonfires also are linked to marking the way for shepherds and worldwide religious traditions. The youngest child in some traditions placed a broken candle in a paper bag to light a path to the family home. These “little lights” or farolitos have become one of the most popular customs to the present day. Lighted candles in bags of sand in Sanibel is a continuation of traditions dating back 2,000 years, or in paradise, to 1984.