Lantern Floating Ceremony
Over 40,000 people came to Magic Island at Ala Moana Beach Park Monday evening for the annual lantern floating memorial ceremony, put on by the Shinnyo-en Buddhist order in Hawaii. It was a somber event for remembering lost loved ones, as well as those who have died this year in natural disasters. After sunset, 3,000 lanterns with candles burning brightly within were set adrift, carrying personal messages, prayers for peace and poetry.
Nonstop’s Tracy Chan and Dallas Nagata were on hand to capture scenes from the night.
Lantern Floating Ceremony
Here’s a video of the lanterns floating, plus the ceremonious launch with the Shinnyo-en priests:
