In that past year or so, lanterns have been all the rage. If you have been paying attention to popular culture, you have probably glimpsed a few of these lights floating into the night sky, or bobbing gently on the water. If you find yourself in Honolulu around Memorial weekend, one of the events you must attend is the Lantern Festival.
Lantern floating is the Honolulu version of Toro Nagashi, a tradition that hails from Japan, and translates as “lantern offerings on water.” Leave it to the Japanese to keep things simple. Over 1600 candle-lit paper lanterns are released off a beach during dusk. The festival honors those who lave lost their lives, and names and sweet messages are written on the lamps.
It seems like a sweet tradition to me. I just hope the lanterns biodegrade easily, and the frames don’t murder any dolphins.
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