Young children surrounded the reflecting pool, playing and splashing in the water. They giggled each time a lantern came floating their way, pushing it more towards the center.
On September 21, the second annual Shinnyo-en “Be a Light for Peace” Lantern Floating Ceremony was held at Hearst Plaza in Lincoln Center from 1-5 p.m. Shinso Ito, the current leader of Shinnyo-en, a Japanese branch of Buddhism, led the closing ceremony at 7 p.m. The event was free and open to the public. Customizable white paper lanterns were distributed on a first come first serve basis to anyone who wanted to create a personal memory.
At 1:15 the Shinnyo Taiko Drumming Ensemble, a Japanese musical group comprised of about one dozen musicians, performed on the side stage. Four women from the New York City-based Decoda Chamber Ensemble performed next. Then students from LaGuardia High School danced on the main stage, followed by dancers from the Dalton School. The Brooklyn Youth chorus sang afterward. Abdur-Rahim Jackson, a senior dancer from the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, choreographed the final performance with dancers from Juilliard.
The Shinnyo community planned the lantern floating ceremony on the International Day of Peace to highlight their mission for peace. The ceremony also coincided with the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, emphasizing Shinnyo’s focus on bringing people together to create a brighter future.
Shinnyo-en, founded in 1936 by Shinjo Ito, is an international Buddhist community. This branch of Shingon Buddhism focuses on “cultivating our buddha nature” and “positive karma,” according to their website. “What is most important is to go deep into ourselves and discover the loving kindness and compassion of the Buddha within — the awakened nature we all possess,” said Shinso Ito.
An estimated 2000 people gathered in Lincoln Center for the ceremony. Participants decorated their lanterns with drawings, messages and quotes. By sunset, thousands of lights floated on the Paul Milstein Reflecting Pool, illuminating Hearst Plaza.
For more information about Shinnyo-en, visit their website or tweet @BeALight4Peace. To attend a meditation class, the Center for Meditation and Well Being at 19 West 36th St is open to the public.
A bulletin stood at the entrance to the Lantern Workshop, encouraging people to use their imaginations and participate in the activity.
Individuals and their families gathered underneath the trees at the Lantern Workshop, where they folded and constructed their unique creations.
Shinnyo constructed four-sided white walls in Hearst Plaza for those who did not create a lantern but still wished to participate. A man inscribes a personal message in permanent marker at the beginning of the ceremony.
A woman polishes off her sketch of the New York City skyline.
A woman finds the perfect spot for her drawing. By the end of the ceremony, all of the space would be taken up by hundreds of inscriptions on each side of the wall.
Bridget Kennerley, 19, sits with her lantern inscribed for her friend Hannah Graham, a University of Virginia student whose sudden disappearance made international headlines on September 13. “She’s one of those people that everyone knows, and everyone loves. It’s part of my dream that she’ll come home,” said Kennerley.
At the beginning of the ceremony, several lanterns were set afloat on the Paul Milstein Reflecting Pool, drifting towards the main stage where Shinnyo prepared for the upcoming dance performances.
Prior to the live music and dance performances, people gathered around the reflecting pool to snap photos, capture memories, and set their lanterns afloat.
The ladies of the Decoda Chamber Ensemble performing their first piece on the side stage.
A male dancer from LaGuardia High School leaps in tandem with the music.
Another LaGuardia High School dancer glides behind her classmates in front of a growing crowd and hundreds of cameras.
Two lanterns with messages about peace, love, and laughter float side by side in the reflecting pool, one with a more specific message: “Mom & Dad are my heroes!”
A girl beams while placing her lantern into the pool, directly reflecting the quote she chose to write: “A simple smile goes a long way.”
Individuals knelt down to snap photos of their own lanterns as well as others, as the Shinnyo displayed information on the main screen: “The largest lantern floating in the U.S. is the Lantern Floating Hawaii, which attracts 40,000 people each year to float lanterns in remembrance of lost loved ones on Memorial Day.”
A dancer from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts sashays around the Paul Milstein Reflecting Pool.
A New York City man places his and his wife’s lanterns into the pool. “You can get an action shot of me putting them in!” he said.
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