The Floating Lamp is a type of lamp that floats on the surface of the water. It is also known as a river lamp or lake lamp etc., depending on the water body in which the water lamp is floated. The water lamp originated in India and later spread to Southeast Asia and East Asia due to influence of Hindu-Buddhist cultural diffusion.

South Asia and Southeast Asia

The water lamps in the Indian culture is seen in various traditional festivals and sacrifices, especially the festivals on the full moon day or Purnimas like the festivals on Kartik Purnima, across South and Southeast Asia including the Vesak Day, Deepavali, Boita Bandana, Loi Krathong, Bon Om Touk,

Songkran Festival Songkran is a term derived from the Sanskrit word, ' (or, more specifically, ') and used to refer to the traditional New Year celebrated in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, parts of northeast India, parts of Vietnam and ...

, Lantern Festival,

Mid-Autumn Festival The Mid-Autumn Festival (Chinese: / ), also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture. Similar holidays are celebrated in Japan (), Korea (), Vietnam (), and other countries in Eas ...

, Water Festival, etc., have simple lamps and are made of plant materials such as flowers and leaves. The main meaning of the water lights in these areas is to worship the gods, send away the disasters, and welcome happiness. Some young men and women will also pray for a good marriage with water lamps. Water lanterns are also believed of guiding the souls in the water.

East Asia

China

As early as in the Tang dynasty, the Water Lantern has been used in traditional Chinese festivals such as the Lantern Festival,

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Sinophone, Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly r ...

, and even Christmas in some places like Hong Kong. It has many names, depending on the water bodies in which the lanterns are discharged, such as 水燈 (water lantern), 流燈 (floating lantern), 河灯, 江燈 (river lantern), 湖燈 (lake lantern), 水燈頭 (water lantern head), and 照冥. The shape of the lanterns may be square or in the form of a

lotus Lotus may refer to: Plants *Lotus (plant), various botanical taxa commonly known as lotus, particularly: ** ''Lotus'' (genus), a genus of terrestrial plants in the family Fabaceae **Lotus flower, a symbolically important aquatic Asian plant also ...

Korea

In both Koreas, the water lantern is known as 유등 (''yudeung'': light).

Japan

is a ceremony in which participants float paper lanterns down a river; tōrō is the Japanese word for "lantern," while ''nagashi'' means "cruise" or "flow." This activity is traditionally performed on the final evening of the Bon Festival in the belief that it will help to guide the souls of the departed to the spirit world. The Bon Festival takes place on the thirteenth to sixteenth of August or July, depending on the calendar used. The peaceful custom is a gesture of respect for those who have died and gives participants a moment to think about their ancestors, loved ones or even past pets.

References

External links

Lantern Floating Hawaii
Official site of Hawaii's largest Tōrō Nagashi ceremony, held on Memorial Day at Magic Island in Honolulu. Presented by Shinnyo-en Hawaii and the Na Lei Aloha Foundation.
Tōrō Nagashi Video
A videoblog entry from the 2006 Tōrō Nagashi ceremony in Honolulu.

Website of the San Francisco Bay Area Peace Lantern Ceremony, held annually since 2002.

Website of 'From Hiroshima to Hope', in Seattle, the largest commemoration of the bombing of Hiroshima outside Japan.
History of the use of floating lanterns in South Korea
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toro nagashi Traditional rituals of East Asia Chinese culture Asian culture Japanese culture Indian culture Korean culture