Make a glowing impression
As you can guess – with a name like Festive Lights – we’re pretty passionate about lighting, but can you really blame us?
Lights are magical. They’re symbolic. They speak all languages and are a great way to build bridges between cultures all across the globe.
Lights are incorporated into many different celebrations, but did you know that in some cultures the celebrations center purely around the lights themselves?
Here’s some of our favourite ways to style your home after these glowing festivities and truly light up your life. With so many beautiful displays across the world, home inspiration is bound to strike.
Pingxi Lantern Festival
When: February/March.
Where: Southeast Asia.
What: This simply stunning festival takes place each February to celebrate the end of the Chinese New Year. During the celebrations, the skies of Taiwan are lit with thousands of glowing floating lanterns that symbolise new life in the New Year.
The warming golden glow can be seen for miles around, which is why the lanterns were originally used to indicate it was safe for villagers to return home from the mountains during the Qing Dynasty era.
Get the Look!
These simple yet effective Solar Hanging Pendant Chinese Lantern look amazing in any garden space and truly encompass the breath-taking wonder of the Pingxi Lantern Festival. Hang them from your porch or pergola with ease thanks to handy hanging cable and hook included and bring the beauty of Taiwan to your garden without having to leave your home.
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Festival of Lights
When: September/October.
Where: Berlin, Germany.
What: First introduced to the streets of Berlin in 2005, the Festival of Lights drapes the city’s national landmarks in stunning multi-coloured light. The Berlin TV Tower, Cathedral and Brandenburg Gate are just a few of the stunning structures projected with intricate illuminations.
Get the Look!
Embody the magic of the Festive of Lights and transform your home into a piece of art with Twinkly – smart lighting to illuminate your home.
For the more intricate designs, create the ultimate wow-factor with Twinkly Squares or our exclusive Twinkly Silhouettes. Thanks to Twinkly’s app-controlled technology, you can map out your lights with ease, and even display your own photos or designs up in lights.
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All Hallows’ Eve
When: 31st October.
Where: Worldwide.
What: Celebrated around the globe, children far and wide love nothing more than Halloween – although that may be down to the sweet treats after dark rather than the spooky traditions.
Walk down any street in the world on 31st October and you’re bound to see pumpkins aglow in every window, doorway, and garden. Frightful or funny, these glowing faces are the true symbol of Halloween.
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Trick-or-treat yourself and welcome the neighbours to your haunted mansion with a collection of spooky-inspired LED batter-powered candles. Looking for something a bit more magical? These hanging LED candles have come straight out of Hogwarts itself and are the perfect way in incorporate the spooky magic of Halloween without going full Jack Skellington. The candles even come with their very own magical wand to truly set the scene.
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Day of the Dead
When: 1st or 2nd November.
Where: Mexico, North America.
What: Not to be confused in anyway with Halloween, the Day of the Dead is its own celebration entirely.
Otherwise known as Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead is a celebration of life and death that is largely celebrated in Mexico. Families across the country light hundreds of candles around their ofrendas to pay tribute to the lives of loved ones passed and to help guide them home for the night.
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One of the traditional symbols of the Day of the Dead is the golden Marigold as its distinctive scent is said to help guide souls back to the family home. Give a nod to the celebration by incorporating the golden and orange tones into your home with seasonal foliage and light up the night with these simple yet realistic flickering pillar LED candles.
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Loi Krathong
When: November.
Where: Thailand.
What: Let’s turn the world on its axis and travel over to picturesque Thailand to celebrate Loi Krathong, otherwise known as the floating lantern festival.
Year on year, festival goers create stunning lotus-shaped baskets from banana leaves and a simple candle which they then float along the river bends to pay their tributes to the Goddess of Water and Buddha. Thought to symbolise releasing negative energy and emotions, Loi Krathong lets you to free yourself from all anxieties and make more room for good luck in their wake.
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The delicate twinkly lights nestled between the leaves and reefs of this beautiful eucalyptus in-lit bouquet makes for the perfect centrepiece and will transport you directly to the bending and relaxing riverbeds of Thailand. This, coupled with these delicate flickering candles and this striking Buddha water feature will bring an instant sense of tranquillity to your home.
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Sendai Pageant of Starlight
When: December.
Where: Sendai, Japan.
What: Feast your eyes on one of Japan’s most spectacular winter illumination displays.
Sendai’s Pageant of Starlight is simply breath-taking. Launched in 1986, the festival encompasses thousands of golden delicate lights strung high around the trunks and woven between the branches of the trees of downtown Sendai to create a dazzling tunnel of illumination.
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If you’re looking to adorn your treetops as far as the eye can see with wonderfully glowing lights, then look no further than our gleaming ConnectPro Outdoor String Lights. These Which? Best Buy for 2021 lights can withstand any weather condition, making them an ideal way to embody the beauty of Sendai Pageant of Starlight festival in your garden all year round.
Christmas
When: 25th December.
Where: Worldwide.
What: Ah, Christmas; it’s easily the most wonderful time of the year – there’s even a song to prove it! Christmas is celebrated by both the young and old, but in case you’ve been living under a rock for the last two and a bit thousand years, here’s the glow down.
This festive season commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ and is widely celebrated by Christians near and far across the world. Each year, millions of children (and big kids alike) wake at the crack of dawn to run downstairs and see what the big man in red has left this year.
As time has gone on, the build up to Christmas has almost become as exciting as the day itself, but maybe we’re just a bit bias…
Get the Look!
If you’re looking for the best Christmas lights in the business, you’ve come to the bright place.
We have a staggering range of indoor and outdoor Christmas lights for tickle your fancy. Whether you’re looking to drape your tree in festive cheer with sparkling Christmas tree lights, create stunning window lighting displays or bring the wow-factor with eye-catching silhouettes and figures, you have the pick of the glitter at Festive Lights.
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New Year’s Eve
When: 31st December.
Where: Worldwide.
What: New Year’s Eve is celebrated on the last day of the year as a way to bring in the next 365 days with a joyous bang.
Fireworks were invited in the 7th century A.D in China to ward off evil spirits and were first used to celebrate the Chinese New Year. As time has gone on The Western World has adopted the tradition, and now are skies are lit up with magical bursts of colour year on year.
Get the Look!
Why should the joy and celebrations of the New Year be limited to one night only? Bring the party home with a bang all year round thanks to these dazzling firework-inspired Starburst Aurora Curtain lights, perfect for spreading the New Year cheer both inside and out throughout the festive season.
For more information on how to style your home for any time of year, head over to our inspiration blog and check out more of our top styling suggestions and tips.
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