LANTERN FESTIVAL

One of my goals in life was to attend a lantern festival and I finally accomplished that. I went with some friends and met some new ones as well! And I almost didn't go. So originally, the lantern festival was going to be on a November 18th, however, I had a RYLA Reunion I had already committed to! Then suddenly, I get a text from Lucia and Cecillia saying that the lantern festival had been pushed to Sunday because of wind patterns. The RYLA Reunion was basically an all-day event, so I was exhausted, but I decided not to miss out on this opportunity! Obviously, it was fated.

So we begin to leave at two o' clock with three different cars and pack the essentials (luckily I triple check my list because I am prone to forgetting things) and head off. We decide to go to Chick-fil-a and then we remember that it's Sunday and turn around towards Wendys' before officially heading towards the festival.

Lucia, Cecillia, and I are the first to arrive and we trample to the entrance and give the employees' our tickets. It was extremely funny that the worker who was handling Lucia's ticket asked if she had a parent or guardian and Lucia yelled my name and waved me over because I was technically an adult (Okay, so I am an adult, I just don't feel like one).

After settling down in a spot semi-close to the mini concert but far away enough to be surrounded by the lanterns, we opened our lantern packets and started writing on them. We wrote sentimental, humorous, and dumb quotes and messages on ours. I decided to write, "Let your light guide you to unknown places," and then on the middle I wrote a letter to my future self. Then the group all finally arrived and we played frisbee, did photoshoots, played games, lit sparklers, and ate a lot of food before hearing the announcer tell us to start lighting our lanterns.

For me, I felt really lucky to be able to witness all the lights rising up into the sky, it was really a warm and colorful sight to see (I am actually surprised that neck didn't hurt the next day from looking at the sky the whole night). The announcer told us to write our dreams, hopes, and goals onto our lanterns and gave an inspiring speech. With Hallelujah softly playing in the background, hundreds of sparkling lanterns rose into the night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwydAVUgnyk

Even when people were leaving after the lanterns had gone, we realized that it would take forever for us to get out of the parking lot, so we got out of our cars and brought sparklers back to the field. We danced with the sparklers and took awesome pictures of us drawing with lights. And one of the last few songs we listened to was Ed Sheeran's Perfect...and it truly was.

P.S If any of you guys reading are concerned about the environmental effects of the lanterns, worry no more because the lanterns were biodegradable!!

"Keep your chin up little stargazer At worlds above our own, You are small but you are stardust And that's worth more than you've known, For every sun and solar flare Is made up just like you, And if they're cause for wonder Then I promise you are too. Look out little stargazer 'Til nothing's left unseen, And know there's not a patch of sky Where no-one else's eyes have been, That the darkness that enfolds you Holds countless other starlit hearts, And with this you stand together Though you live lifetimes apart. Be brave now little stargazer The sky is growing light, And courage wanes like moonbeams When it's pulled out from the night, But like those who gazed before you; Know when your heart is full of fear, That it is always in your darkness That the stars start to appear." - Erin Hanson

#2017 #november #lanternfestival #lifestyle #fall