The Lantern Festival is an annual Jamaica Plain tradition that takes place at Forest Hills Cemetery. Attendees decorate lanterns in memory of loved ones. After lighting a small candle in the center, each lantern is placed on Hibiscus Pond. The prayers and well-wishes then swirl around the pond.
The lanterns go in at dusk, and are preceded by entertainment. We arrived in time to see the Whiskey Boys play a four-song set. Four of the five “boys” live in JP.
After a bon festival dance by SHOWA Boston, Grandmaster Chuemon Tsuji Xi from the Samurai Academy in Weymouth began the taiko drumming, but not before rocking out on an electric guitar.
He also invited children to join him on the drums. These two girls initially refused, but soon changed their minds.
As it got dark, we moved from the stage to the banks of the pond. These boys were climbing a beech tree.
The lanterns went in as it got dark.
Someone on the opposite bank released two sky lanterns, which drifted up and above the trees.
