The Festival of Lights

The Festival of Lights has been a tradition in my family for generations. It's a tradition that began a hundred years ago when the first lights when up during the beginning of the fall season and lasts all the way to spring.

The Festival of Lights is an annual tradition in which my family lights up our house and the entire town of Cape Royal with rows upon rows of light.

This year it is my turn to light up the town, but this tradition is not without controversy. My mother and half the town believes the Festival of Lights began as a way to help guide us through the fall season and into the spring season.

The rest of my family and the rest of the town believe the Festival of Lights began as a way to help us connect with the rest of the country and to help guide us out of Cape Royal.

I know this is crazy, believe me when I first heard about this tradition, I thought this town is crazy, but you have to see it from our view as residents of Cape Royal.

Cape Royal is an isolated town with one road leading into and out of the town, and at night especially in the winter it gets very dark.

This is why members of my family and half the towns people believe the Festival of Lights began as a means to guide us out of Cape Royal.

Cape Royal during the fall and winter season gets dark real quick and stays dark for large parts of the season and lights were hung on the houses of each resident to help light Cape Royal from one season to the next.

This is why my mother and the other half of the town believe the Festival of Lights is a way to guide us from the fall season to the spring season.

I believe this is crazy. I believe this tradition is crazy, but for my mother I would do this. I love my mother so for her I would light up the town.

The one thing I love about the Festival of Lights is all the beautiful lights. The lights come in many different colors, shapes and sizes.

I can already see from my home some of the towns people are already putting up their lights, these are the people who believe the origin of the Festival of Lights are a way to guide us out of Cape Royal.

Their lights in my opinion are not as beautiful as my mother's lights. I'm bias because I love my mother.

Today I'm hanging the lights around my house and then I'm going to the town square to finish hanging the rest of the lights.

Thinking about the Festival of Lights has me going back to when I was a kid and hearing all the fighting about the origins of the lights. I always thought it was funny. How can grown people fight about lights?

I still think its funny and crazy, but it's a tradition my mother loves and a tradition I promised my mother I will always do.

"Marisol."

I turn to look at my mother.

"Yea mom."

"What are you thinking about?"

"This tradition."

"What about it?"

"This Festival of Lights. It sounds crazy."

"It may see crazy to you young people, but to us older people it's the most beautiful experience."

"How did it all start?"

"There are two stories about the Festival of Lights."

"Tell me yours."

"Okay."

My mother begins to tell the origin of the Festival of Lights.

"The Festival of Lights began with the founding of Cape Royal. Your great, great, great, great grandfather is one of the founders of Cape Royal. He along with the other two founders found this amazing piece of land that stretched far out into the mountains. Although this land was beautiful , it was also in a place that was caught off from civilization. The founders found a way to build Cape Royal.

"So this town was built from scratch?"

My mother nods.

"Where do the lights come in?"

My mother continues the story.

"The first lights didn't come to Cape Royal for three years, so in that time the founders used fire to light up Cape Royal especially during the fall and winter season, which is very harsh. When the first lights came too Cape Royal it was a sigh of relief and a celebration to help us during the harsh fall and winter season."

"How does the other story come into play?"

"You will have to ask your uncle that one."

I nod.

The story my mother told me is interesting and not at all crazy. I never knew my great, great, great, great, grandfather was one of the founders. That is amazing.

I realize why my mother loves the Festival of Lights. It's a beautiful tradition. Cape Royal is built in a harsh environment where lights is a rare thing, but the founders made it happen.

My mother and her family have continued this tradition since its inception, but there is one thing I don't understand. Where did the other tradition of the Festival of Lights come from?

I guess I got to talk to my uncle about that one. He believes the origin of the festival of lights began as a way to guide the people out of Cape Royal. Here is what I don't understand. Why would people want to leave Cape Royal.

I walk to my uncle's house on the other side of the block I knock on the door. My uncle answers.

"Marisol. What are you doing here?"

"I see you are preparing for the festival."

"I see your mother is too."

"She is. My mother told me about the origin of the Festival of Lights. I came to ask about your tradition."

"Come on in."

I walk into my uncle's house. We walk to the living room, and sit on the couch. He begins to tell me the story.

"We believe the tradition comes from one winter five years after the founding of Cape Royal. Many people got tired of the harsh winter which lasted for many months. The people had enough, so they put up the lights all around town to help them leave Cape Royal."

"You stayed?"

"I did."

"Why?"

"Cape Royal is home. My family founded Cape Royal. I can't just up and leave. I believe this tradition because we need an escape from Cape Royal and so we can communicate with the rest of the country."

"Thanks Uncle."

"I hope this helps."

"I hope so too."

I can understand both my mother and uncle's stories. The Festival of Lights means a lot to so many people in this town whether you believe in one tradition or the other.

It's time to turn the lights on. The people have gathered in the town square with smiles on their faces. I stand next to my cousin who is going to light the other lights.

We count to ten and the lights are on. All the lights look beautiful and now it's time for the celebration.