Candlelight Service

Every June 21, in my small town, there is a special festival to celebrate the arrival of Equinox. Several hundred candles are lit to increase awareness of eco-friendly energy saving methods before the hot summer months arrive.

I took lots of photos from this year's event; please enjoy!

Children from schools in the area created these wonderful, handmade paper lanterns. Each boxed lantern contained a picture(s), with some kind of message or poem on it.

Impressive artwork.

Smaller children decorated recycled glass using permanent markers. As the sun set, several children lit candles inside each glass to create a tower of light. 

Glass art -- great at home project! 

A large park played host to this event. Visitors followed a walking path; each side of the walk was decorated with the paper lanterns. As I strolled in the cool summer air, I snapped photos of the lanterns which impressed me most. 

Festival dancers, sunflowers and lobsters.

Mascots are quite popular in Japan now; the kids all flocked to this one (below, left). I wasn't exactly sure what this mascot represented; to me, he looked like moss??

The main stage area had rows upon rows of plastic cups filled with candles. Once lit, it resembled a flickering carpet.

Japan is romantic, no? ^_^


~ Information ~ 

For privacy reasons, I cannot say where this festival is located. 

Candlelight services are often held in the summer/winter months in Japan. Check your local city office for details. 

One famous candle event is held in Yokohama; it's called "Yokohama Candle Cafe". Taking place near the X-mas season, visitors can enjoy candles laid out in patterns of hearts, swirls, etc. Very popular with young couples on a date. Details HERE.