Luminalia is an annual holiday celebrated by both the Banu and Humanity on December 22.

It originated as the irregularly-held Banu festival 'tsikti efanga' (Glow Festival), and is marked by the lighting of ceremonial lamps that stay lit until their fuel is consumed (about 34,000 beats / 2 Standard Earth Days).

While the lamps are burning, all Banu, no matter where they are, are considered one Souli (a group of cohabiting Banu who have formed an alliance centered around a specific, shared skillset).

They invite friends, business associates, and passing strangers into their Soulis and give them gifts so they will always have something to sell.

Humans first participated in the festival when a Banu ship-repair Souli on Cestulus (Davien II) lit their lamps and invited the nearby Humans to celebrate with them in 2438. The United Empire of Earth (UEE) officially recognized Luminalia as a holiday in 2557 after it became a widely practiced seasonal tradition.

Today, Banu and Humans commemorate Luminalia with gift-exchanges, present hunts, glowing lights, food and drink, and gatherings of family, friends, business associates, and acquaintances. Homes and businesses are typically decorated in green and red.

If you want to learn more about Luminalia, visit the ARK Galactapedia to read the full lore article.

Now, make yourself comfortable and read on to learn everything about Luminalia 2950 in Star Citizen.

As Luminalia grew in popularity, Human merchants modified the traditional gift-sharing by hiding empty wrapped packages that could be returned unopened in exchange for surprises, such as credits or small toys. The extra footfall driven into their stores increased holiday sales and became a tradition in its own right.

Of course, New Babbage’s traders have not missed the opportunity to join this tradition and invite you to snowy microTech to look for the gift-boxes yourself and sell them at the trading kiosks.

In the spirit of Luminalia, you can also help those who have not been able to give presents to their loved ones personally, as everywhere around the ‘verse, people need reliable traders to bring brightly wrapped gift boxes to friends and business associates.

Celebrate Luminalia with us and win great prizes in one of three contests. Jump into the ‘verse and capture the most beautiful lights you can find, photograph Esperia’s latest bird of prey, or design a new winter collection for the Stanton system.

The original Luminalia celebration focused on the lighting of ceremonial lamps and the coming together of friendships. Glowing lights have since been an integral part of Humanity’s Luminalia celebrations, so we invite you to create or find the most beautiful examples of lights in the PU. Check out the Cozy Glow Contest on Spectrum and enter for the chance of winning a Tobii Eye Tracker 5.

To celebrate the Espiria Talon and Shrike making their way into Star Citizen, we’re inviting you to take iconic pictures of these two nimble-but-fear-striking light fighters. The best entries will win unique Custom Talon ASTRO Gaming A40 Headsets! Check out the Esperia Talon Screenshot Contest on Spectrum for all the details.

Keeping the festivities going, we want to see who can come up with the best Luminalia-themed holiday sweater design! Fire up an image editing program or grab some paper and show us your old-timey art skills. Not only can you win some awesome ships, but we take the winning design of the Luminalia Sweater Contest and integrate it into the game in a future holiday season!

Count down the days until December 22, look forward to Luminalia with us, and receive a small gift every day. All you have to do is visit this section of the Luminalia Comm-Link each day and click on the link below.

Make yourself and your loved ones happy by inviting them to Star Citizen. Don’t forget your referral code because if you bring a new player into the ‘verse between December 17 and January 11, in the spirit of Luminalia, we’ll give you BOTH a Drake Dragonfly. Find out more about this referral promotion here.

We’ve prepared discounted game packages with extended insurance to make this Luminalia the perfect moment to start your journey together. These special Holiday Starter Packs come with an enhanced 24-months insurance. Get them while they last, as these deals will melt away with the holiday season’s end.

Get two months for free with our exclusive discounts on the one-year Centurion and Imperator subscriptions! Receive access to monthly perks and rewards only available to Subscribers, including Jump Point (Star Citizen’s official digital magazine), First-Wave PTU access, the Ship of the Month, and much more! These special offers will end on December 31 (23:59 UTC).

Stay frosty while you keep warm this winter, or ride the cutting edge of coziness when you slip into a microTech-themed sweater. Check out our new merchandise for the wintery season below, or find sweaters in additional sizes and everything you need for a beautiful and cozy Luminalia here.