Louisiana may not turn into a winter wonderland during the holidays, but there’s no denying the rich tradition and culture found here makes Christmas in the South something extraordinary.
Civil engineering senior Kenny Berthelot from Grand Point, La., has been building bonfires on the levee in Paulina, La., for six years now. Each year at exactly 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve, hundreds of bonfires are ignited simultaneously, creating a firework effect along the levees in the parishes of St. James, St. John the Baptist and Ascension.
“It’s a huge celebration, and there’s nothing like it,” Berthelot said. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be on Christmas Eve. It just feels like home to me.”
The Christmas Eve tradition of lighting bonfires along the Mississippi River dates back hundreds of years, but no one really knows the exact origin of the custom. Some say the bonfires light the way for “Papa Noel” or those traveling to midnight mass, while others believe they were originally built as a helpful guide for people traveling on the river at night.
But no matter how the custom originated, the tradition is alive and well, and growing more popular every year. People from around the country come to see the enormous bonfires blaze through the night, and Berthelot said he’s talked to tourists from as far away as Minnesota.
His father first taught him how to build a bonfire — a family tradition that goes back four generations, Berthelot said, and one he plans to teach his children.
“I started doing bonfires when I was 12 years old, when my dad gave me a hatchet and a machete,” Berthelot said. “We would walk to the woods in the back of the house, chop down trees, drag them back home and build bonfires in the backyard, so we started really early.”
Each year around mid-December, Berthelot, his two brothers and around four of their friends spend up to two weeks building the bonfire. He said people will even pull to the side of River Road while they’re building to take pictures of them.
Although Berthelot said they try to build the tallest bonfire every year, current regulations only allow the bonfire’s height to reach 20 feet. When he passed the levee over Thanksgiving break, he said he saw six bonfires already finished, but added that these were only about 10 feet tall.
Permits are required to build bonfires on the levee, and Berthelot said it’s usually the same families who buy permits each year.
“It’s kind of like a tailgate,” Berthelot said. “It’s pretty much the same people who’ve been building in the same places, so we know the people next to us because they’ve been next to us for as long as we’ve been doing it.”
Of course, no Louisiana tradition is complete without food. Most families bring gumbo or fried turkey and sweets to the levee on the night of the lighting, he said. On Christmas Eve, it’s a huge gathering of family and friends, and after the bonfires have been lit, most families go to midnight mass.
“There’s a lot of pride that you feel on Christmas Eve when you’re watching your hard work go up in flames,” Berthelot said. “All of your family and all the travelers and the tourists are around you congratulating you, and they’re awestruck. It’s a really great feeling.”

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courtesy of Kenneth Berthelot