Bonfire builders brave weather to light up levee

• By JOHN A. COLVIN
• Advocate River parishes bureau
• Published: Dec 25, 2008 - Page: 1B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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GRAMERCY — Families and friends began gearing up in earnest early Wednesday afternoon for St. James Parish’s  annual Christmas Eve bonfire celebration.

Many were making last-minute adjustments to their firewood structures, hoping they would be ready to join hundreds of other builders  lighting up the Mississippi River with big bonfires along  the levee.

There was some concern among authorities about whether it would be safe to allow the log stacks to be set afire after dark because of windy conditions, but the weather calmed down and officials decided to give the go-ahead.

Set up in Paulina, Kevin Washington also was concerned about the threatening weather, but mostly about the rain. He debated covering his bonfire with a tarp to keep it dry as a storm front passed over, but worried the tarp might catch the wind and bring down the entire bonfire structure.

It was just one example of everyone’s work and planning that goes into the annual gathering.

However, Washington said,  the effort is worth it all because building a Christmas Eve bonfire is what makes the holiday for him.

“All of the family will get together for it,” he said. “If they are out of state, they are coming. If they can’t make it, they are angry.”

Washington, 48, said he remembers helping his uncles and his older brothers when he was 10 or 11. Now, his own sons and nephews are starting to get involved.

Modern conveniences, such as chainsaws and motor vehicles, have made construction easier, Washington said. He recalled dragging wood up the levee with a bicycle.

While some trace the roots of the celebration to Europe, the history of the festive fires is mixed with folklore, represented in stories of the bonfires lighting Papa Noel’s way to deliver presents at children’s homes or to guide the residents to church.

Historians have said the number of bonfires really began to grow in the 1950s. Today, the Christmas Eve bonfire celebration is one of Louisiana’s leading attractions, drawing thousands to rural St. James Parish.

Visiting relatives in Pierre Part, Laynie Johnson and her daughter, Jaycie, 8, of San Saba, Texas, about 100 miles north of Austin, were amazed at the extent of the celebration.

“We have bonfires in Texas, but they are before a home football game,” Laynie Johnson  said. “Nothing like this.”