6 Most Beautiful Lantern Festivals From Around The World

Celebrated across the world by illuminating various things, from rice paper floaters to candles on the ground, lantern festivals are a sight to behold. Each festival is observed for a deeper meaning, whether religious or cultural, united by the lighting of traditional lanterns to seek brightness, peace and hope. The sky lights up as each of the different lantern festivals ushers in prosperity. Sometimes, they’re also held as a token of paying tribute to departed souls. With their unique ambience and life, these festivals are an experience of a lifetime. Are you up for it?

# Diwali, India

Also known as ‘the festival of lights’, Diwali, or Deepavali, is celebrated by Indians around the world. The five-day festival usually takes place on the 15th day of Kartik, considered the holiest month in the Hindu lunar calendar (this usually occurs late October to early November; the exact dates change every year). This autumn festival is celebrated to symbolise the spiritual victory of light over darkness, or good over evil. It marks the return of the god Rama and his wife Sita to their capital Ayodhya, after defeating the demon Ravana, and their exile. The festival is also celebrated in honour of the goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, inviting her blessings. Homes, shops, offices and temples are all brightly lit up during the festival, while people also burst fire crackers and exchange sweetmeats with each other.

# St. John’s Night, Poland

Also Known as the Kupala Night aka Noc Kupaly, St. John’s Night is a festival that heralds the start of the summer solstice. Celebrated in Poland, and Polish communities abroad, the festival has its roots in pagan rituals that honoured the elements of fire and water. It’s usually observed on the shortest night of the year, on 21-22 or 23-24 of June. The feast focuses on fertility and well wishes, while the rituals include releasing lanterns into the sky, bathing in the open and sending floating wreaths with candles on the rivers. These glowing lanterns differ in size, colour and contain personal messages written on them.

# Marine Day Lantern Festival, Tokyo

Marine Day or Umi no hi, translates to ‘day of the sea’, and the festival is held on the third Monday of July. It’s a Japanese national holiday that pays tribute to the oceans. Over 50,000 paper lanterns are lit and artistically placed along the beach of Odaiba Beach Front Park, where visitors can walk among them and admire the view of Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo. These lanterns are shaped into flowers and other designs, and can be seen from far away. Local musicians and singers perform by the beachside café, where you can sit and relish the scenery and have delicious seafood.

# Loy Krathong, Thailand

This traditional Siamese festival is celebrated throughout Thailand on the night of the 12th lunar month (usually in November). As the main rice harvest season ends, this picturesque festival meant to thank the water goddess for a year’s worth of her abundant supply and ask for forgiveness. Therefore, locals send off their krathong (a basket traditionally made out of a banana stalk and stocked with candles and incense) into rivers and small canals called klongs as opposed to sending lanterns floating into the sky. Today, they are also released in a pond or lake, while many places also host a string of cultural activities, such as Ram Wong dance performances, Krathong-making competitions and a beauty contest along with the release of the lights.

# Yi Peng, Thailand

Coinciding with Loy Krathong, Yi Peng (Yee Peng) is celebrated on the full moon of the 12th lunar month every year in the north of Thailand. During this festival, thousands of rice paper lanterns called khom loi are released into the sky. This traditional festival stems from the belief that by sending an offering into the sky a person’s spirit can be cleansed and their misfortune can be reversed. The biggest ceremony takes place in Chiang Mai each year where you will see thousands of stunningly illuminated lanterns float up into the sky, candles lining the little sois (lanes), special parades, and floating flower offerings floating on the Ping River.

# Rise Lantern Festival, Las Vegas

The Rise Lantern Festival is a lantern festival which is held annually, on November 8, in the Mojave desert in Nevada, about 25 miles south of Las Vegas. Each participant receives two lanterns, a marker, and a mat. People are then encouraged to write ‘a prayer, a dream or a resolution’ on their lantern, before setting them aloft at dusk into the Nevada sky. The event organisers of the Rise Lantern Festival have adopted a ‘Leave It Better Than We Found It’ policy, as part of their green environment sustainability program. Therefore, even though the lanterns are completely biodegradable, the crew collects the floating lights after the festivities.