Celebratory lighting (also termed festive lighting) is the use of lighting for decorative, celebratory or recreational purposes in connection with a specific festival, observance or event in a given culture.
Whilst one of the most commonly known form of Celebratory lighting is the European (and later North American) tradition of Christmas lights, many cultures have used Celebratory lighting in specific cultural circumstances.
Closely related to celebratory lighting, are:
- the use of organised illuminations as semi-public entertainment, a concept which in some forms can be traced to the Ancient Chinese, although the modern form largely developed during the nineteenth century
- Ritual lighting, in connection with specific religious practices.
Famous quotes containing the word lighting:
“There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision, and for whom the lighting of every cigar, the drinking of every cup, the time of rising and going to bed every day, and the beginning of every bit of work, are subjects of express volitional deliberation.”
—William James (1842–1910)