The weather reports look great, so plan on coming to Forest Hills this Thursday for the 12th annual Lantern Festival!
Join us – and thousands of Bostonians – for a moving memorial ceremony inspired by Buddhist rituals in what has become an important community event in Boston. Inscribe a lantern with a personal message to friends or family and float it across Lake Hibiscus at sunset. In this breathtaking ceremony of remembrance, visitors to this lush, Victorian landscape make paper lanterns and set them afloat on the peaceful waters of a small lake. This ritual is based on the traditional Japanese Bon Festival, a time when a door opens to the world of the ancestors, allowing us to send messages to the other side. People enjoy picnics on the grass and a multi-cultural program of music and dance. They decorate their lanterns with calligraphy and notes to those who have died. At sunset, a candle is lit in each lantern, and the glimmering lanterns are set afloat. Drifting and flickering with the wind, the lanterns symbolize the soul’s journey when life ends.
Admission is free, with a $10 donation per lantern. Parking is $10; we’re encouraging people to take the T. The cemetery is an easy walk from the Orange Line T, Forest Hills stop via the Tower Street shortcut. No lighting after dark; bring a flashlight to assist your departure.
Special Thanks to Our Presenting Sponsor:
Mt. Washington Bank
and our other sponsors:
Birch St. House & Garden
Davis Monuments
Schell Printing Co. Inc.
The programs of the Forest Hills Educational Trust are made possible with support from individuals, private foundations, local businesses and Forest Hills Cemetery. We also receive generous support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
