RIVERSIDE, CA — The famed “Festival of Lights” will return to downtown Riverside in just over two weeks and continue to the start of 2025, featuring millions of lights, holiday displays, caroling, Santa Claus and other entertainment on the pedestrian mall.

Like last year, this year’s fest will begin the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. The switch-on ceremony is scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23. Prior to 2023, the ceremonies were traditionally held the day after Thanksgiving, but according to organizers, there’s now an emphasis on getting a head start on the season’s activities.

Last year’s switch-on drew thousands of spectators. Organizers said this year’s switch-on will include a free concert featuring Matt Mauser & The Tijuana Dogs, as well as Richard Goodall, winner of the 2024 “America’s Got Talent” contest.

This will be the fest’s 32nd anniversary.

Mission Inn Hotel & Spa owner Duane Roberts, who inaugurated the tradition in 1992, said in 2023 that the festival consistently draws up to 500,000 visitors over a one-month span, “all thrilled to watch the display come to life through the holidays.”

Switch-on events were rescinded in November 2020 and November 2021. The 2020 event was prohibited because of the COVID lockdowns, and the City Council decided to forgo the 2021 switch-on as a precautionary measure. The ceremony got back on track in 2022.

The nightly fest features the century-old inn bathed in multi-colored hues, with hundreds of animated characters, including elves, toy soldiers, nutcrackers and angels, visible on banisters, balconies and ledges.

Towering Christmas trees and wooden soldiers traditionally line the way outside and into the hotel, where visitors also encounter a mistletoe measuring 12-by-8 feet.

There will be live musical entertainment weekly, photos with Santa Claus, as well as artisan booths and food vendors up and down the Main Street pedestrian mall. The city also festoons light standards and other municipal property with displays and lights.

Although festivities will stop on Dec. 31, the lights are slated to stay on through the first week of January.

The post ‘Festival Of Lights’ Returns To Downtown Riverside Starting Nov. 23 appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

If you read my stories you already know from last week that Christmas is not the All-American sport. Far from it. In other lands we find other celebrations and customs when it comes to Santa Claus and the Nativity .

I did some digging into Christmas lore this week and came up with some other ways that Christmas is celebrated in the Eastern and Southeastern parts of the globe.

MERRY CHRISTMAS DOWN UNDER                                                                            It might sound odd to you that anyone would celebrate Christmas in any way other than we do in America. We believe that celebrating Christ’s birthday anytime but December 25^th, with sleight bells ringing and we up to our knees in snow would be a disgrace.

Historians and many theologians know better. Many of them believe that Jesus was actually a July baby. I only know what I was taught and later read…so who really knows?

Christmas in Australia is celebrated from mid-December to early February. Christmas takes place in Australia during their hot season. Factually families might even been tanning and picnicking at the beach during the Christmas season.

Due to the excessive heat, folks down under spend much of the holidays fighting brush fires, protecting property and rescuing people,

In some instances they are like us. They are big on hanging lights house to house, with large displays, in competition as to who has the largest and grandest displays. A regular Macy’s parade in stand still.

Each state capital city hosts a “Carols by Candlelight” service (very much like ours, the one with the most money presents the largest display). Well-known Australian such as The Wiggles, John Farnham, Anthony Warlow, Colin Gery, Nicki Webster, ad infinitum pitch in the make season bright and musical by singing carols.

It is quite well known that during his visit to Australia, Santa replaces his reindeers for kangaroos and dons lighter garb because of the heat. Children leave carrots for the reindeer and cake for Santa. They swear that the cold beer for Santa is non-alcoholic. Santa gives us a sly wink on that one.

Then there is “Boxing day” when crowds assemble at the beach for barbecues. Also on Boxing Day there is a famous race that starts in Sydney and comes to an end at Hobart in Tasmania.

Also, like us, Christmas day is for families, finding most families at home, with big dinners that include a cold Christmas dinner or seafood barbecue in the back yard.  Christmas Day usually ends with Christmas Pudding: cold desserts and Christmas Crackers at every Christmas meal. A bit strange these Aussies-and don’t you know, they have the dandiest way of singing?

AND, OH THOSE CHINESE – THEY’VE GOT THEIR OWN STYLE

There are not a lot of Christians in China-perhaps one percent of the billions of Chinese. Given that, it might come as a surprise to many of us to learn that they do not mimic our December celebrations.

The hinterlands, in many cases, have no idea what one means by “Christmas.” Consequently, most large celebrations take place in the big, more cosmopolitan metropolises like Beijing where they have decorated trees and Christmas lights. It has been said that this is only to satisfy the shopping greed of American visitors.  Postmen dress up as Santa who is known as Jheng dan lao ren’. Don’t ask because I have no idea where that came from.

In recent years young people have begun to embrace Christmas as a time for lovers to exchange gifts. American Valentine’s Day? Who knows, but they seem to be leading the way toward the season.

In-home Christmas trees are usually plastic and might be decorated with paper chains, paper flowers and paper lanterns. Most real trees are consigned to the Shopping Malls (perhaps to also please us Americans with pockets full of spending money). It is somewhat amusing that, even though they are not so gung ho, most all of our Christmas decorations are manufactured in China.

On Christmas Eve, giving apples is quite popular, with the apples wrapped in bright colored paper. The name for Christmas Eve is impossible to read (since I ain’t Chinese, I suppose) but means “peaceful” or “quiet” evening. “Apple” in Mandarin is “pingguo.” Sounds like a word for peace.

It is fascinating to watch Chinese celebrants singing carols as they stroll along the sidewalks and by-ways, mouthing words, the meaning of which they don’t even know. As to the Christians (a minority, one might say), they do strange things like go to Midnight Mass and stuff like that. As they say, these Chinese have their own way of doing everything-but ain’t it nice that they celebrate an American National Holiday? Just sayin’

rustystrait@gmail.com

Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

Search: Christmas in other lands

The post CHRISTMAS IN OTHER LANDS appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

This is the time of the year when Santa Claus pops up on every street corner, advertisement and fundraiser. Hemet’s American Legion Post 53, in order to fit right in, has plans for the entire month of December. Beginning on December 7^th all veterans, their spouses, children and grand children of Veterans, grandparents who have served in the Armed Forces are welcomed to join the Legion’s very own Santa Claus on “Pearl Harbor Day” to celebrate an early Christmas activity and to enjoy all the goodies awaiting them.

In coordination with The Lords of Ministry, let the festivities begin. Santa is personally calling all Veterans’ kids to come down to 124 Ramona Street in the heart of downtown Hemet for a free Christmas dinner and gifts.

There will be two meal servings, one at 12 noon and the second at 4:00PM. Veterans may present a DD-214card, DOD card, or VA card. Current members of the Armed Forces and their families are also welcomed to join the event.

You may preregister, if you choose, at www.alpostaa53.com.

These family-oriented get-togethers are fun for everyone. The food is superb and if last year was any example, the toys and gifts are outstanding.

At a time when the dark shadows of hate and mistrust hover over the world like black, storm-laden thunder clouds the Legion Post will be a beacon light to us all. That is especially true to those who are without family or homeless or both. It is a sad event that so many veterans who have put it all on the line so that we as a community can safely celebrate the Christmas Holidays should find themselves alone or on the streets with little hope for a future.

American Legion Post 53 culminates the year, every year, by reaching out to all veterans and their families, just as they do throughout the year.

If you are a local veteran and not familiar with the local Post, this might be just the chance for you to become familiar with all the services they offer. You might also rekindle some of that comradeship that you once developed on some far flung shore or dark jungle at a time when having a comrade often made the difference between life and death. You just never know for sure, do you? Just sayin’

rustystrait@gmail.com

Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

Search: Here Comes Santa Claus

The post HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.