References to the tradition of lighting bonfires along the levee in St. John, St. James, and St. Charles parishes on Christmas Eve date back to the 1880s, with many believing that the early settlers to the area brought the custom from their homelands of Germany and France. Like the one pictured, the bonfires are usually constructed with a tall center pole surrounded by other branches and flammable materials. Local lore holds that the bonfires are to light the way for Papa Noël, while some elders have said they were meant to light the way to midnight mass.