Why do people hang lights on they houses only during the holidays?

Question

what does it really represent? Where did the tradition come from?

Answer 1

The decorating of the tree with lights is actually a pagan tradition and ritual for celebrating various gods and myths surrounding winter which was eventually adopted by christians. It is mainly an American thing to decorate the outside of our houses in the same manner, but the roots are the same. Search Christmas on wikipedia for more information.

Answer 2

Almost every culture from the Northern hemisphere has some sort of ceremony/ritual/festival/celebration that involves lights, and it usually falls somewhere around the winter solstice - the longest night of the year.

It doesn't take an awful lot of imagination to determine why people living in the darkness of winter would want to celebrate the turning point - when the days start getting longer again, and try to push away the darkness of the deepest winter with candles, fires, lights, and feasts and drinking with family and friends.

Whether your tradition is called Christmas, Yule, Mithras, Hanukah, or Festivus, the purpose is all the same.

So people decorate their lights with houses during this season to kick at the darkness.

Answer 3

Hey, I don't know where the tradition came from or where it originates from but lights represents God doesn't it, God gave us light and he created it so that may have something to do with it, I think everyone who surrounds their houses with pretty lights at this time of the year are hoping to get themselves into a competion - to see who has the best lights!

Answer 4

It represents higher power bills, which represent increased consumption of oil, which ultimately means that we're funneling more money to the Middle East. Ironic, huh?

Thumbs down - I knew it. Well, it's the plain truth. Americans are serially incapable of connecting the dots when it comes to the actual impact of their actions, but they always respond to cheap sentiment.

Answer 5

well, if you go far enough down south, they are up all year round. But, i think it originated in Germany some time ago, the hessians used candles which burnt stuff down, so with the invention of the light bulb, the christmas lights were born!!!

Answer 6

It looked so good on the tree, I had to put them all over my house.

Personally, I left my Christmas lights up until March and continued to turn them on at night until I got off my duff and took them down.

Actually, there are still some on my fence.

Answer 7

people express their excitement for the holidays by hanging up decorations and lights.

Answer 8

to be festive.. you might google the topic to learn if there is a specific history behind the tradition..

Answer 9

if done on every day , it wont be a holiday

represents their existence

tradition , from the tradition

Answer 10

I think some people just do it because of the Holiday spirit, others I think do it because everyone else in the block does!