Floating lanterns are an Oahu tradition for celebrating Memorial Day in Hawaiian tradition. Photo courtesy Shinnyo-en Hawaii
Every Memorial Day, people gather at a beach in Honolulu, Oahu, for a beautiful ceremony of floating lanterns—a serene tradition of peace and remembrance for those who have departed.
I almost never post about events I haven’t personally attended, but when I got the press release about this ceremony I made an exception.
Six thousand candlelit lanterns are set afloat from Ala Moana Beach to honor the fallen, to remember departed loved ones, and as a symbolic, collective vow to work toward a peaceful future. More than 50,000 people attend the annual Lantern Floating Hawaii ceremony on Memorial Day, which gathers the community and visitors for a collective experience of warmth and compassion.
In harmony with Hawaiian tradition, the evening opens with the pū, oli and hula, followed by the Shinnyo Taiko and Shomyo Ensemble. Her Holiness Shinso Ito officiates, conducts a blessing, and is joined by six community leaders for the lighting of the Light of Harmony. After the lighting, the lanterns are set afloat onto the waters of Ala Moana Beach by the general public and volunteers. At the conclusion of the ceremony, all lanterns are collected from the ocean and restored for use in the upcoming years.
A participant takes a moment to reflect before launching a candlelit lantern inscribed with remembrances of a loved one. Photo courtesy Shinnyo-en Hawaii.
Attendees may receive a lantern to personally float, or they can write their remembrances on special forms that will be placed on collective remembrance lanterns to be floated by volunteers. There is no charge for a lantern; all donations received at the beach will be gifted to the City & County of Honolulu for the upkeep and beautification of Ala Moana Beach Park.
Some day I hope to take part in this beautiful ceremony and watch my own lantern mingle with the tiny lights of thousands of others as they bob in the bay.
—Laurel Kallenbach, freelance writer and editor
Thanks for letting us know about this. I hadn’t heard about it before. It is a lovely idea and the fact that the city of Honolulu provides these charming lanterns for everyone is generous, and helps bring the people of the city together in a thoughtful way for a heart warming event. I’d like to participate!