Spectacular Christmas Lights from Around the World
The custom of festive lighting for Christmas is a long standing tradition which has been adopted in secular fashion in various cultures throughout the world. The use of lighting displays is highly diverse, ranging from simple light strands to full-blown animated tableau of picturesque displays, involving dramatic scenes of complex illuminated animatronics and statues that would make Chevy Chase proud, with the role he played as Clark Griswold in the movie Christmas Vacation.
One of the largest homes in Boston with 250,000 lights. Homeowner Luberto hopes the lights will serve as a reminder to some 47,000 people who drive by his home each day that Christmas should be celebrated in style. Photo Paul Keleher
While the earliest origins of celebratory lighting during winter festivals predate Christianity, it’s the European, and later North American partly secularized traditions associated with Christmas which are now commonly recognized and enjoyed as festive Christmas Lights.
“Don’t you celebrate on your birthday?” Luberto asks. “Well, this is Jesus’ birthday. It
should be the biggest celebration of all.” Photo Paul Keleher
In December the town of Medellin in Colombia transforms into
a glowing hub of Christmas cheer. Photo Getty
The city is adorned with thousand of colorful lights and designs that attract national
and international visitors. Photo Getty
The tradition is over 40 years old with the lights switching on amid a big party
on December 8. Photo Getty
Annual displays in city centers are adored by the public and have been erected for decades. It’s a popular pastime to drive or walk around neighborhoods in the evening to see the incredibly ornate lights displayed, which can take weeks to construct.
Some have made it to the Extreme Christmas TV specials shown on HGTV, even requiring a generator or separate electrical service to supply the amount of electrical power needed to juice the thousands of lights.
The house of Alex Goodwind in Melksham, England. Goodwind starts planning his lights
in July and this year has spent £3,000 on them. Photo Getty
Last Christmas his electricity bill was £700 and the house had to have an upgraded electricity supply installed to cope with the additional power needed. Donations from visitors to his home have in the past raised over £2,000 for a local hospice. Photo Getty
Home of John Scott in Northumberland. Rising energy costs and the credit crunch have contributed to cutbacks in seasonal Christmas light displays in homes. Photo North News
And this was how John’s home looks this Christmas. He admits it’s now too expensive
to continue his annual lights display. Photo North News
Barry “Mad Dog” Gottlieb organized the “Tacky Xmas Decoration Contest and Grand Highly Illuminated House Tour” with a tour of decorated homes in Richmond, Virginia in 1986. Since then, people either sign up for a tour or drive around to find houses that are the tackiest, and a growing number of cities have adopted this family Christmas tradition.
Public displays of Christmas lights play an ubiquitous role in the annual celebration of the season, utilizing lights on a broad array, including decking towering Christmas trees in public squares, street trees and park trees, adorning lampposts, decorating significant buildings such as town halls and department stores, and lighting up popular tourist attractions such as the Eiffel Tower and the Sydney Opera House.
House covered in Christmas lights in Mandaluyong City, eastern Manila. Photo EPA
The neighborhood decided to make their celebration more festive by decorating their houses
with lights. Photo EPA
It has now become a tourist attraction. Photo EPA
The Philippines has earned the distinction of celebrating the world’s longest Christmas season. Christmas carols are heard as early as September and the season lasts right up until Epiphany. Photo EPA
History of Christmas Lights
During the medieval period, special candles were often lit at Christmas, symbolic of Jesus’ role as the light of the world. The phenomena of the Christingle is also closely related.
The illuminated Christmas tree, which is considered by many to be the start of the development of modern Christmas lighting traditions, is commonly associated with Martin Luther, and became part of a European Christmas from his time.
A 3 meter Christmas tree forms the centerpiece of the Phillips family Christmas
decorations on Dalmeny Road, Carshalton, London. Photo PA
It’s adorned with over 170 Teletubby toys. Photo PA
Photo Mykl Roventine
The illuminated Christmas tree became established in the United Kingdom during Queen Victoria’s reign, and through emigration spread to North America and Australia. Until the development of inexpensive electrical power in the mid-19th century, miniature candles were commonly — and in some cultures still are — used.
The first known electrically illuminated Christmas tree was the creation of Edward H. Johnson — an associate of inventor Thomas Edison — who had Christmas tree light bulbs especially made for him while he was vice president of the Edison Electric Light Company, which were displayed on his Christmas tree on December 22, 1882. Johnson became widely regarded as the Father of Electric Christmas Tree Lights.
In 1895, U.S. President Grover Cleveland proudly sponsored a huge specimen of the first electrically lit Christmas tree in the White House.
Boston, MA. Photo B Rosen
Lausanne, Switzerland. Photo M Claire
Photo Goodnight Photography
Shiodome, Tokyo Japan. Photo OiMax
By 1900, businesses started stringing up Christmas lights behind their windows. Since the lights were too expensive for the average person, electric Christmas lights didn’t become the majority replacement for candles until 1930.
The first commercially produced Christmas tree lamps were manufactured in strings by the General Electric Co. of Harrison, New Jersey.
From that point forward, electrically illuminated indoor Christmas trees grew with mounting enthusiasm in the U.S. and elsewhere. San Diego in 1904 and New York City in 1912 were the first recorded instances of the use of Christmas lights outside.
Santa’s Merry-go-round at Gore Park. Photo Inuyasha Izayoi
Photo Inuyasha Izayoi
Photo Inuyasha Izayoi
McAdenville North Carolina claims to have been the first for inventing “the tradition of decorating evergreen trees with Christmas lights in 1956, when the McAdenville Men’s Club conceived of the idea of decorating a few trees around the McAdenville Community Center.
However, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has had “lights” since 1931, when a tree was adorned with 700 lights and placed in front of the RCA building, but did not have real electric lights until 1956.
Philadelphia’s Christmas Light Show and Disney’s Christmas Tree also began in 1956. While General Electric sponsored community lighting competitions during the 1920’s, it wasn’t until the mid 1950’s that they began to be adopted by average households.
200,000 Christmas lights in Richmond, Virginia. Photo Terren in Virginia
New York nature. Photo 416style
Partecita park in Gothenburg with more than 4,000,000 lights. Photo Danuqui
Over time, strings of Christmas lights made their way into use in places other than Christmas trees, with strings of lights adorning mantles and other areas inside and outside of homes, businesses and even city skyscrapers, activated in Grand Illumination ceremonies.
The annual lighting ceremony of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has become a TV special watched from coast to coast in North America. For more information on the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, visit NJ.com.
The Marshall, Texas courthouse outlined in Christmas lights. Photo Hephaestos
In the lake of Adventkranz, Velden, Worthersee. Photo Annia
Paulista, Brazil. Photo Pedro Angelini
Photo Sister72
Photo Sister72
Palácio Avenida. Christmas in the enchanted palace is a spectacular public concert in this beautifully lit HSBC historic bank building in downtown Curitba, Brazil, with children in costumes singing out of every window. Photo Kah Zanon
Berlin. Photo Jule Berlin
Kansas City, Missouri. Photo Brian Progressive Spin
Rio de Janeiro Brazil. Photo Rodrigo Soldon
Photo SqueakyMarmot
Dragon at the castle, River of Lights, Albuquerque, NM. Photo S Burke
Paulista Avenue, San Paulo.SP.Brazil. Photo Denise Mayumi
Pinocchio with star snow sculpture. Photo Clairity
Manchester’s Xmas decoration, likened to Zippy the puppet from Rainbow.
Photo WakaJawaka
Methuen Riverwalk. Photo J Godsey
Photo Krisdecurtis
Photo Krisdecurtis
Christmas elves. Photo Krisdecurtis
85°F Christmas at Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua. Photo Chadh
Colosseum of Rome. Photo MK Media Productions
Tree design was the one inspired by Japanese cut glass technique, Kiriko.
Photo Tanakawho
Tree made entirely of Swarovski. Photo Tanakawho
Shiodome, Tokyo Japan. Photo OiMax
Photo Joelf
Place Ville Marie. Photo Aschaf
Christmas tree with 55m and a hundred illuminated balls in Parque do Ibirapuera –
Sao Paulo.SP.Brazil . Photo Denise Mayumi
Photo Paul Davidson
Electric snowman. Photo Terren in Virginia
Storefront on Cookman Avenue in Asbury Park, NJ. Photo Sister72
Photo Sister72
Santa’s sleigh at Glasgow. Photo DeclanTM
Santa’s reindeer at Glasgow. Photo DeclanTM
Santa. Photo Krisdecurtis
Christmas Nativity scene at “Miller Place” – 32 Miller Farms Drive. Photo Joe Shlabotnik
This home has 60,000 blinking lights, glowing plastic figures, lilting carolers and a 6-foot-high robotic Nativity scene, a toyland of 50 soldiers, 24 large and 20 small choirboys, 3 trains, a castle, a gingerbread house, 2 fireplaces, a cement truck with a rotating drum, the Old Woman in the Show, more than 60 plastic Santas and snowmen. Collection by the homeowner benefits diabetes research.
Extreme Christmas Light Show
The Williams’ family home in Deerfield Township, Ohio, which cost $10,000 to create
and made national news. Visitors drive up to the house and tune the radio
to a specific frequency to hear the music.
Extreme Christmas Light Banjo Show
20,000 lights with 64 channels to the tune of Dueling Banjos.
It starts to rock at about 2 minutes in.
Amazing Grace – Holdman Display, Pleasant Grove, Utah
You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch
Source: Wikipedia
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pretty photo’s!
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I dig the manchester santa decoration the best
This is one of the most delightful posts I think I’ve ever seen. Thank you so much!
Really great photographs, really like them. And there is even a photograph from my country in that post
Spectacular pics Deborah. Somehow displays like this look so much nicer in Winter – Christmas in Summer is just not the same. It’s no wonder children in the Northern Hemisphere have that goggle-eyed look around Christmas time
I’m going to share this with my grand-kids when they come to stay next week. Thank you.
Robin
(linkback) Cool or Boring? Spectacular Christmas Lights from Around the World [VOTE] – http://www.thriveorfail.com/a9044
Unbelievable lights! I have never seen anything so gorgeous. Thanks for compiling all the photos and videos. Cheers and thumbs up at SU!
Stephanie
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hey nice site some great stuff on here! light displays seem to be dying off round here now its rather sad really! check out our syncronised display http://www.northviewlitez.piczo.com
Thanks to all, I’m glad to hear you enjoy the images. Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas season
Robin, I couldn’t imagine Christmas in the dead heat of summer, it would be so foreign to me. I did include one image on a Christmas tree display at a hotel during 85 degree temps because it seemed so odd
I hope your grandkids will enjoy it 
That’s an interesting site, Kevin, thanks for the plug
Wowsa, that’s pretty flashy, Wayne
Great site! Thoroughly enjoyed all the hard work you put into it! Thanx.
Thank you so much for these gorgeous pics and your dedicated research into the history of the lights, etc. Made for a very entertaining read, thanks and Merry Christmas!
So beautiful…!
They are wonderful. I just wonder how much time is needed to make those light decorations ?!
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This is awesome but some of them r gaudy
Thanks it was really nice to look at. The videos were cool too!!!
So beautiful! I linked to this from my Who’s Yo Mama blog. We don’t get these kind of lights on Maui.
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Thanks everyone, glad you’re enjoying the ‘light show’
Thanks Kuanyin
That comes as a bit of a surprise to me to hear it isn’t widely done there.
I can’t beleive there are not any photos of the Christmas lights a t Niagara Falls. The ones you have shown are awesome.
wow,id loved all the features that your group had been shown….. keep up the good job!
I really like everything over there ! I often wonder if people know what they are celebrating on a Christmas day. Nice stuff!
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Thank you very much for the post. I used to live near Pittsburgh Pa and enjoyed the lights. I am out of the country most of the time so I no longer get to enjoy all of the beautiful xmas lights.
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theres a wonder you havent got my neighbours house on here, he always goes overboard with the lights, cant get any sleep over christmas has his house lights the street up
Are there are any other festivals in the world where lighting of public places is given so much significance?
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These are absolutely stunning Christmas lighting photos. In my country, you would get a whopping light bill from the utility company in January. There were hardly any lights this year as everyone was conserving, so this page is a pleasant surprise.
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Wonderful site! And the Christmas photos are great!
One of photos is from the Richmond VA USA area Tacky Lights Tour. For about 10 years or so, after Thanksgiving, plain boring, uber-conservative Richmond dresses itself up in tacky lights galore. The picture featured here is of Anoka Court in western Henrico County, a Richmond suburb.
My Flickr site has more photos of the tacky tour.
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VERY GOOOOOOG…muito legas essas fotos….
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very nice but it this day and age a disgusting waste of energy
yet another example of americans going overboard
People like to discuss the electricity bills of those who go extreme in decorating their houses with Christmas lights. Well, it’s not about that. It’s about bringing joy and a holiday spirit to all – rich, poor, happy, miserable. And this is priceless.
Thanks Drew, I’m with you completely on that
Gorgeous Christmas lights and loved Photo Inuyasha Izayoi particularly.
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When i was a kid we used to drive around and look at the christmas light decorations in the area – but now a days hardly anyone decorates anymore. This is something incredible and I would love to see up close. it’s too bad I don’t have the patience to decorate like this.
How beatiful and inspiring. I wish I was able to visit all that places.
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Lovely decorations and lovely pictures taken too! it take so much time to do these decorations i think!! But really a great stuff. thanks for sharing with us.
A welcome piece as we enter the “ember” moths in preparation for another xmas. I love your site, it is very intriguing.
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Really interesting and informative and some great pics.
Wow!!! Definitely a lot of work. stunning!
Wow, some of these are amazing! I’d like my house to look like that, but can’t be bothered to sort it all out. Plus it’s a ridiculous level of energy consumption and electricity bills! I’ve actually been to one of these, in Northumberland, England. Could see the sky above the house lit up from about half a mile away.
These are just soooooo spectacular!!! What a fantastic collection of awesome Christmas lights – I’ll be bookmarking this page and showing my family and friends.
I thought we did a fairly good job with our outdoor lights, but these photos make ours look hopeless!!!
Thanks so much for these great photos!