By Isiah REYES

he Casa Adobe de San Rafael in Glendale has a long-standing tradition each holiday season to decorate the house with lighted candles in the decades-old celebration of Fiesta de las Luminarias.

The event is hosted by Glendale Beautiful, which provides tours of the house on the first Sunday of every month.

“The main purpose of the event is to show off the house and it is also to attempt, in a small way, to recreate the type of celebrations that were held in the 19th century,” said Roberta Medford, president of Glendale Beautiful. “So the idea is to recreate a pre-technological period of hospitality of singing, piano music, homemade treats and hot drinks and just gathering and decorating in the traditional Western-Christian way.”

Medford said that because in the 19th century there were not many houses around the area when people visited each other an open house was held. Guests would visit for days, even weeks, at a time because distances were so great.

“This event recognizes our history from the Rancho period and lets people know how life used to be 150 years ago,” said Sharon Weisman, who was a guest of the Casa Adobe open house.

In the evening, all the visitors gathered inside the house to enjoy songs performed by the Hoover High School choir. They sang their way through a packet of caroling songs that brought a smile to everyone’s face.

Earlier in the day there was a performance by Horace Mann Elementary School girls who swayed to popular folkloric Mexican dances. This was followed by the hitting of the piñata.

The Casa and grounds are under the supervision of the Glendale Parks, Recreation and Community Services Division. Casa Adobe is located at 1330 Dorothy Drive in Glendale. It is also available for private parties.

  Isiah REYES