Lantern Floating in Hawaii

In preparation for my trip to Japan, I watched the 10th annual Lantern Floating Hawaii Ceremony held on Magic Island in Ala Moana Beach Park. The Lantern Floating is a traditional Buddhist ritual from Japan. The the candle-lit lanterns are sent floating on the ocean to honor our ancestors and to calm the "spirits" of those who have passed away. The lighted lanterns are meant to ferry the deceased "from the Sea of Delusion to the Shore of Salvation."

The Japanese Buddhist order that conducted the ceremony was the Shinnyo-en. In Japanese, "Shinnyo" means unchanging truth while "en" is a garden that is open for all. The order was founded by Shinjo Ito in western Tokyo in 1936.

Since it was held here in Hawaii, the ceremony clearly altered to accomodate the local Hawaiian cultural influence. Traditional kahiko hula and chants were highlighted in the opening ceremony along with performances by local performers.

However, the ceremony retained its Japanese roots with Taiko drumming and the traditional buddhist rites and chanting.

Over 1600 lanterns were launched and each lantern held written messages for those who have passed away from their loved ones. The lanterns were bought from Japan and put together by volunteers. All the lanterns were later collected from the water to be recycled.