Posted at 10:18 a.m., Thursday, May 24, 2007
Lantern floating ceremony Monday at Magic Island
Advertiser Staff
The ninth annual lantern floating ceremony to remember lost loved ones is set for Memorial Day at Magic Island.Some 900 wood lanterns will be released from canoes and from shore, then later retrieved and recycled.
The event is a Buddhist tradition in Japan, and is conducted to pay respects for ancestors and comfort the deceased. The lanterns carry prayers for loved ones and for victims of natural disasters, famines, disease and war.
The lanterns will be released into the water Monday from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The public can make prayer requests from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Magic Island before the event.
The lantern ceremony has been held at Ala Moana Beach Park since 2002. Before that, it was held at Ke'ehi Lagoon.
Donations for prayer requests are accepted and will go to maintaining Ala Moana Beach Park. For more information on the event, go to www.lanternfloatinghawaii.com.
