Japanese Lantern Lighting Festival August 19, 2012!
Bonsai, martial arts, Ikebana, singing, dancing, drumming, delicious food and other aspects of Japanese culture will take center stage at the annual Como Park Japanese Lantern Lighting Festival, a family-friendly event, reminiscent of Japan’s annual Obon holiday, on Sunday, August 19, 2012 on the grounds of the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory in Como Park.
The Lantern Lighting Festival encompasses Japanese tradition through music, dance, crafts, martial arts and lanterns. The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory grounds will open at 3 p.m., and live entertainment in the Como Ordway Memorial Japanese Garden and on the main stage will begin at 3:30 p.m. Entertainment will include taiko drumming groups, koto (Japanese zither), shakuhachis (bamboo flutes), traditional and contemporary dance and singing. Martial arts, Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging), origami demonstrations, and a host of other cultural exhibits and demonstrations will line several paths through the grounds. Savory Japanese food and dozens of culturally-related items will also be for sale.
The day will culminate at dusk with the main event—the lantern lighting. Stone lanterns as well as hundreds of floating paper lanterns throughout the Japanese Garden pond and the Frog Pond will create a vision of peacefulness and harmony to commemorate the dead.
Proceeds from the 2011 Lantern Lighting Festival helped provide the final dollars needed for the Japanese Gardens Experience. This new wing of to the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory will provide permanent gallery space for the Como’s nationally-regarded Bonsai collection, and improved access to the Como Ordway Memorial Japanese Garden.
The Como Park Japanese Lantern Lighting Festival, produced by Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, Japan America Society of Minnesota, and Saint Paul Nagasaki Sister City Committee will be held on Sunday, August 21, 2011 from 3:00pm-9:00pm. Admission is $5.00 per adult, $3.00 per child 3-12 and Seniors 65+, and free for ages 2 and under. Free shuttle bus service will be available.
A large collections of photos from earlier festivals can be found here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/jamesn88888/JapaneseLanternLightingFestival2010ComoPark
Thanks to Jim Nash for these photos!
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