In the waning light as the sun sets over Lake Michigan, lanterns are lit and floated out into the lagoon, each lantern representing a memory of something lost.
The 2nd annual Evanston Lantern Festival in honor of South Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month and Memorial Day took place at the Arrington Lagoon Tuesday evening.
Melissa Raman Molitor, founder of Evanston ASPA, says the event was inspired by the lantern festival traditions found across Asia, South Asia and the Pacific islands.
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“There is a universality to the lantern festival, although its meaning varies depending on culture, it is often associated with memorializing those lost to us, a celebration of letting go,” Molitor said.
According to the event flyer, depending on the culture and occasion, floating lanterns can hold different meanings and symbolism such as worshipping deities, warding off disasters, honoring ancestors, offering blessings, or welcoming happiness and good fortune.
In Japan, paper lanterns are made as an offering for loved ones who have passed, it is believed that the lanterns help to guide the souls of the departed to the spirit world.
“In Evanston, our festival grew out the need to come together after the post-pandemic loss of people close to us, of jobs, of homes, and loss of our time together,” Molitor added. “The act of making and floating lanterns was meaningful to people, it provided some healing and so we wanted to do it again.”
The event was co-hosted by Evanston ASPA, an organization dedicated to promoting the visibility and representation of local Asian, South Asian Pacific Islander Community, and by Evanston’s Studio 3, a community art studio and gallery for individuals who utilize the arts as expression, exploration, or act of social justice and community care.
“This community ritual of making lanterns, let’s us honor those we’ve lost and to express feelings around those loses, while lifting up Asian American heritage,” Angela Lyon Smith, Studio 3 co-founder said.
Mary Griswold of Evanston who attended the festival said, “It’s such a beautiful night, and such a fun thing to do with a friend.”
Gina Grillo is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.