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

South Asia and Southeast Asia

The water lamps in the Indian culture are seen in various traditional festivals and sacrifices, especially the festivals on the full moon day or Purnimas like the festivals on

Kartik Purnima Kartika Purnima (), also known as Kartika Pournami, is a Hindu, Sikh, and Jain cultural festival that is celebrated on ''purnima'' (full moon day), the 15th day of the lunar month Kartika. It falls on November or December of the Gregorian ...

, across South and Southeast Asia including the

Vesak Day Vesak (; Sanskrit: '), also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima, Visak Bochea and Buddha Day, is a holiday traditionally observed by Buddhists in South Asia and Southeast Asia, as well as in Tibet and Mongolia. It is among the most impor ...

Deepavali Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual ...

, Boita Bandana,

Loi Krathong Loy Krathong (, , ) is a Thai festival celebrated annually throughout Kingdom of Thailand, Thailand and in nearby countries with significant Southwestern Tai languages, South Western Tai cultures (Laos, Shan State, Shan, Mon State, Mon, Tanintha ...

Bon Om Touk Bon Om Touk (, , lit. "Boat Paddling Festival"), also known as the Cambodian Water Festival, is celebrated in late October or early November, often corresponding with the lunar Mid-Autumn Festival. It marks the end of the monsoon season. The f ...

, Songkran Festival,

Lantern Festival The Lantern Festival ( zh, t=wikt:元宵節, 元宵節, s=wikt:元宵节, 元宵节, first=t, hp=Yuánxiāo jié), also called Shangyuan Festival ( zh, t=上元節, s=上元节, first=t, hp=Shàngyuán jié) and Cap Go Meh ( zh, t=十五暝, ...

Mid-Autumn Festival The Mid-Autumn Festival (for other names, see § Etymology) is a harvest festival celebrated in Chinese culture. It is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar with a full moon at night, corresponding to mid- ...

Water Festival Water festivals are vibrant celebrations that occur across the globe, often marking the start of a new year or season. These festivals are deeply rooted in cultural and religious traditions, and they showcase the importance of water as a life ...

, 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 to guide the souls in the water.

Vietnam

In Vietnam, water lanterns are known as đèn hoa đăng, đèn giấy, released regularly in Hội An on the 1st, 14th, 15th day of the

Vietnamese calendar The Vietnamese calendar (; ) is a lunisolar calendar that is mostly based on the lunisolar Chinese calendar. As Vietnam's official calendar has been the Gregorian calendar since 1954, the Vietnamese calendar is used mainly to observe lunisolar ...

and every Saturday. File:Hoi An old town (44577949830).jpg, A kind of water lantern popular in Vietnam File:Hoi An (44555762915).jpg, An old lady is selling water lanterns in Hội An

East Asia

China

As early as in the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

, the water lantern has been used in traditional Chinese festivals such as the

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival (see also #Names, § Names), is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is one of the most important holi ...

, and even

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

in some places like

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. It has many different names, depending on the water body on which the lanterns are released, such as 水燈 (water lantern), 流燈 (floating lantern), 河灯, 江燈 (river lantern), 湖燈 (lake lantern), 水燈頭 (water lamphead), and 照冥 (illumination). The shape of the lanterns may be square or in the form of a

lotus flower ''Nelumbo nucifera'', also known as the pink lotus, sacred lotus, Indian lotus, or simply lotus, is one of two extant taxon, extant species of aquatic plant in the Family (biology), family Nelumbonaceae. It is sometimes colloquially called a ...

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 are a type of traditional East Asian lantern made of stone, wood, or metal. Originating in China, stone lanterns spread to Japan, Korea and Vietnam, though they are most commonly found in both China – extant in Buddhist temples and traditional ...

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 or just is a fusion of the ancient Japanese belief in ancestral spirits and a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ance ...

in the belief that it will help to guide the

souls The soul is the purported immaterial aspect or essence of a living being. It is typically believed to be immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that describe the relationship between the soul and the bod ...

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 is a modern global Buddhist School for lay people. Its traditions can be traced back to the Daigoji branch of Shingon Buddhism. It was founded in 1936 by , and his wife in a suburb of metropolitan Tokyo, the city of Tachikawa, where its headq ...

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
{{in lang, ko Traditional rituals of East Asia Chinese culture Culture of Asia Culture of Japan Culture of India Culture of Korea