Luminaria light the way to the Tiencken-Kelly House during a
previous Old Wilmington by Candlelight Tour.
IN more modern times, luminarias have been lit at
28 december 2021
WBM
Christmas to guide participants in the Old Wilmington by
Candlelight Tour, a walking tour through Wilmington’s
old buildings sponsored by the Lower Cape Fear Historical
Society.
The luminarias consist of a single white wax candle set
inside a white paper bag, usually anchored down with a stone
or two. As they are lit, the warm glow contrasts with the
strings of multicolored lights that are woven from pole to pole
along Wilmington’s Front Street.
Our tour of the Christmas lights that have been reflected
on Wilmington’s waterways would not be complete without
a mention of the beautiful lights that glitter in the North
Carolina Holiday Flotilla observed at Wrightsville Beach at
the beginning of the Christmas season.
The Flotilla, traditionally held the last weekend in November,
is a sparkling parade of boats bedecked in Christmas lights.
The lights cast shimmering luminarias across the waters of
Banks Channel where the boats parade on the west side of the
beach.
Wrightsville Beach’s Holiday Flotilla is a wonderful way to
revisit the old, shimmering luminarias that once reflected on
Wilmington’s great river highway, lights that led ships from
all over the world to our home port.
WBM FILE PHOTO
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