December 5, 2009 | On a clear Saturday night, on the cusp of Indonesia’s rainy season, more than 4000 people gathered in a field next to Carnival Beach in Ancol, Jakarta to set the Guinness World Record for the most sky lanterns flown simultaneously. Together, people young and old, from different backgrounds, countries, and religions came together to light and release over 10,000 illuminated sky lanterns into the night sky. Together they watched in amazement as the lanterns gently drifted upward as part of Freedom Faithnet Global’s Annual Freedom Celebration.
While the majestic sight was visible for miles around, its impact on both participants and viewers alike was felt more deeply. Freedom Faithnet organized the release as a “symbol of hope and prayer,” and according to event chairman W.S. Yong, the release was intended to inspire people all around the world to believe that anything is possible.
It’s no surprise that sky lanterns were chosen as the keystone of this event, as they have a long and regal history as carriers of our hopes and dreams. Maybe you’ve seen sky lanterns in movies, or taken part in a release at a special event, or maybe sky lanterns are an important part of your cultural heritage. Whatever the case maybe be, few people would argue the beauty, solemnity, and joy of participating in or watching a sky lantern release.
Sky Lanterns: History and Tradition
Sky Lanterns, historically known as Khoom Fay or Khom Fai (‘Fire Lantern,’ Chinese;Thai), are a traditional part of Asian and Thai culture dating back to 300 AD. They were first made of oiled rice paper stretched over a bamboo frame and fueled by a small candle. The candle heated the air inside the lantern’s skin, making the trapped air less dense than the cooler surrounding air and thereby causing the lantern to rise.
While some historians disagree, folklore credits the invention of the first sky lantern to revered Chinese military strategist Zhuge Liang. Zhunge Liang’s reverent term of address was Kongming, which is why sky lanterns are sometimes called Kongming Lanterns, even today. The shape of the first sky lanterns were also thought to resemble the shape of Kongming’s favored hat.
In 3rd century China, the first sky lanterns were used as signaling devices in the military battles of the Warring States period. Soldiers would light them and send them drifting up into the sky, where they were visible to distant compatriots. This was a remarkable bit of ingenuity, especially when you consider that the idea was not duplicated in the Western world until the 17th century.
Traditional and Modern Beliefs
Although originally intended for military use, sky lanterns became a revered part of festivals, prayers, and celebrations throughout Asia in peaceful times. Thailand in particular uses lanterns in many rituals. For example, giving a sky lantern to a monk was believed to bring good luck because the lantern would light the path to wisdom and knowledge. They were also commonly thought to convey people’s hopes and dreams heavenward. The longer and higher a sky lantern floated, the better the luck the giver believed he would receive.
Releasing a sky lantern was also credited with carrying away burdens into the hands of the gods or God. It’s not hard to understand why. Standing in the dark, watching a single light or sea of beautifully flickering lights rise hopefully into the night sky can bring a profound sense of hopefulness and serenity to those watching below.
In Asia, sky lanterns are a long-standing part of celebrations, and often accompanied fireworks displays. For example, at the Yi Peng (full moon) Festival in Thailand’s Chiang Mai municipality, revelers gather each year during the full moon of the 12th lunar month to release their lanterns as offerings to Buddha, and to set aloft the old year’s fears and worries. Describing this event, journalist John Le Fevre writes, “Day and night the percussion of constantly exploding fireworks echo overhead as Chiang Mai celebrates the largest annual festival held in Thailand – Loi Krathong (floating raft) – and the traditional Chiang Mai Yi Peng (Festival of Lights).”
In Taipai, the annual Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival sees streets packed with people enjoying food from street vendors, music, and peaceful camaraderie. The event is a massive display of community and optimism, where those gathered write their wishes and dreams on the outside of their lanterns before letting them go. This tradition in Pingxi dates back to the Ching Dynasty, when villages often suffered raids from bands of roaming marauders. These raids, according to town elders, drove ancient villagers up into the mountains seeking refuge. After the raiders left, lanterns were released by village watchmen as a means to signal that it was once again safe for villagers to return home.
Also held in Pingxi was the February, 2005 “Light of Peace, City of Hope” event, which sought to commemorate the great 2004 tsunami. Every twenty minutes, several hundred lanterns were set aloft from the playground of Pingxi’s local middle school. The Taipai Times reports that the event was attended by Premier Frank Hsieh, who is quoted as saying, “I saw from the window of my car hundreds of lanterns floating in the dark skies. They are like stars. Suddenly my heart was filled with warmth and joy.” So famous are the Taiwanese lantern festivals, they were documented in an episode of The Discovery Channel’s series Fantastic Festivals of the World.
Choosing Sky Lanterns for Your Special Event
Historically, sky lanterns have been an important part of Asian weddings, and this tradition still holds today. But even in Western cultures, these illuminated symbols of hope and gratitude perfectly capture the spirit of a wedding, along with the hope newlyweds feel as they begin their new journey as man and wife. If there is one thing that will make your special day even more memorable, it’s the sight of dozens of sky lanterns floating up toward the heavens, released by the people you care most about.
While especially suited to weddings, sky lanterns can be great way to mark almost any special occasion. Think of sending up one white lantern to welcome your newborn into this world, or sending up two complimentary lanterns to commemorate an engagement party. If you have a parent approaching a milestone birthday, sky lanterns can be the perfect way to commemorate the joy and solemnity of the event. Imagine lighting a sea of seventy-five brightly-colored lanterns on your father’s 75th birthday—one in thanks for and celebration of each treasured year. Then imagine watching them lift gently up into sky. What present or ritual could better commemorate the date?
A lantern release would also be a great way both to celebrate and bring attention to your business opening, or send a new graduate off into the world. Sky lanterns can be a special way to commemorate any rite of passage—even New Year’s Eve. Whether you’re thankful for what’s come before, or hopeful about what’s on the horizon, a sky lantern can make a special event more memorable for your family, loved ones, and guests.
Sky Lantern Design
Modern sky lanterns share their same basic design with the first sky lanterns made almost 2000 years ago. They’re essentially hot air balloons which trap hot hair. Heating air lowers its density, making it lighter than the air outside the balloon, which makes a lantern rise.
All sky lanterns are at least slightly smaller at the base than at the top to help them rise. The sides of a sky lantern, known as gores, were originally made of oiled rice paper stretched over a bamboo frame in which a candle was hung. Candles were later replaced with a folded or rolled waxy combustible fuel cell suspended in the middle of the lantern’s lower rim.
While some modern lanterns are still made this way, the best models are eco-friendly and made of biodegradable, flame-retardant materials like treated rice or mulberry paper, reclaimed bamboo, and reclaimed wax fuel cells. The sides of a flame-retardant sky lantern are designed to char instead of ignite, making them much safer than traditional non-treated rice paper lanterns or cheaper models made from inferior products. Biodegradable models contain no wires and little or no other materials harmful to the earth.
Sky Lantern Shapes, Styles, and Colours.
Today’s sky lanterns are available in a seemingly endless variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Shapes available include but are not limited to traditional hat-shaped designs, cylindrical lanterns, novelty shapes like footballs, hearts, or soccer balls, and cubes. Lanterns can also range in size from very small, to traditional (90cm x 55cm x 55cm), to large and even jumbo-sized models.
Lanterns also come in every color of the rainbow. Best Sky Lanterns, one of the UK’s largest and most respected online sky lantern vendors, sells individual lanterns and lantern packages in white, orange, red, yellow, blue, purple, and plum red.
Keep in mind that buying an eco lantern doesn’t mean you have to limit your choices. Reputable and safe vendors offer biodegradable lanterns in every shape, size and color.
Buying Sky Lanterns Online
If you’ve fallen in love with the beauty and majesty of sky lanterns and you’ve decided they would be perfect for your special event, you’ll find that shopping online makes the process simple and convenient. Choose a reputable website, like Best Sky Lanterns, with a large selection of attractive, safe and eco-friendly lanterns, and then browse around the website to get an idea of the shapes, styles, and colors available. A recommended vendor like Best Sky Lanterns will also often offer fast and free shipping.
Obviously, the type of lantern or lanterns you choose will depend on the type of event you’re planning. For a traditional Asian wedding, you might choose a traditionally shaped lantern in black, white or red. For a birthday party, you might want an economical package including many different sizes and colors. Nowadays, you can even find specialty lanterns shaped like footballs or soccer balls for sporting events, lanterns painted with smiley faces for parties, and even jack-o’-lantern-faced balloons for Halloween. Browsing online stores will spark your imagination, and you should have no problem finding a sky lantern perfect for your event.
Finally, while you’re shopping for a sky lantern, keep in mind these two key points:
• Your lantern will ultimately land—and often miles away where it was launched. Consider a biodegradable eco lantern that will degrade naturally and without harming the earth, especially if you’re launching more than a single or small group of lanterns.
• Sky lanterns contain open flames. You want a lantern that will be safe, which means you want a lantern made of fire-retardant materials, and one with a non-drip fuel cell.
While price is always a consideration when weighing a purchase, price should not be the most important factor in choosing a sky lantern. Beware of cheap, overseas vendors selling sub-standard products. For instance, paper lanterns coated after production are less effective at reducing flammability than lanterns made of specially designed flame-retardant materials. Coatings can wear off over time, especially when lanterns have been sitting for long periods of time on a factory floor, or have been stored improperly during shipping.
Cheaper lanterns not only compromise on safety, they also compromise on quality. Thinner paper is more likely to tear, rendering a sky lantern unable to fly. Cheaply designed fuel cells can be difficult to light, and may burn out more quickly than better quality materials, meaning that your lantern won’t soar as high or as far into the sky.
Investing in a good quality lantern from a trustworthy and established company may cost a little more, but may also mean the difference between a special night that you and your guests will never forget, or disappointment and embarrassment if your lantern won’t light or fly. The consequences can be even worse if you compromise on safety.
Launching your Sky Lantern: Safety Considerations
Sky lanterns are safe to use as long as you keep in mind a few simple but important guidelines:
• Choose a fire-retardant sky lantern. It bears repeating: A good sky lantern is made of fire-resistant materials and has a non-drip fuel cell to reduce the chance of the lantern burning in flight or lighting a fire on the ground when it lands. While safety-related problems with sky lanterns are rare, paying a little bit more for a good quality lantern can avoid tragedy and improve your peace of mind related to your event.
• Choose an appropriate place for your launch. The best places to release sky lanterns are in open fields or beaches. Never release sky lanterns within five miles on an airport, near roads, dry fields, trees, or power lines. Avoid launching lanterns where they may be misconstrued as a distress signal. If you’re launching a number of lanterns near the coast, you may want to alert authorities beforehand to avoid costly or embarrassing misunderstandings.
• Weather & Wind. Lanterns fly best in clear, calm weather. Light rain is not optimal, but lanterns will not fly during heavy rains. Check with a reputable weather source to determine wind speed and direction before launch. Lanterns should not be released in winds greater than five miles per hour because their course may become unpredictable, sending them into trees or other obstacles. Higher winds also increase the chance of a lantern coming down while still lit. Double check your lantern’s flight path based on wind direction to be sure there are no dangerous obstacles in its path.
• Basic Precautions. Always keep a fire extinguisher or supply of water within easy reach during your launch. Don’t launch a lantern if you’re under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and don’t smoke during a launch.
• Clothing and Hair. Be mindful of your clothing and hair when working with a sky lantern’s open flame. Choose clothing that fits tight to the body—no loose, flowing sleeves or scarves—and be sure long hair is safely tied back and kept away from the flame.
• Adult Supervision. Children love sky lanterns, but they should never be allowed to launch a lantern without close adult supervision.
Launching your Sky Lantern: Detailed Instructions
Despite their delicate and graceful appearance, launching a sky lantern is easy, even for first time users. Below are five easy steps to a safe and successful launch:
1. Remove the lantern from is wrapper and familiarize yourself with its design. Then grip it by the bottom ring, and swing it around to expand it to its full size. Never try to light a lantern that’s not fully expanded.
2. If you have someone to help you, have one person hold the lantern upright—avoiding any flapping over or folds—while the other person lights the fuel cell. If you’re alone, hold the lantern sideways with any excess material held away from the fuel cell, then light the lantern quickly and flip it upright once the lantern has begun to expand with hot air.
3. Hold the lantern with two hands while it continues to heat up. This will take anywhere from 30 to 90 seconds depending on the size and shape of the lantern and weather conditions. Continue safely holding the lantern upright until it is completely filled and expanded with hot air.
4. When the lantern is ready for release, its sides will be hot to the touch and you will feel the lantern begin to tug away, wanting to rise.
5. Look around for any final obstacles, then simply let go and watch as your lantern takes flight!
If it seems like launching a sky lantern is simple, that’s because it is. Elegant, inexpensive, and easy to use, sky lanterns have been with us for a thousand years, and likely will be with us for thousands more. In a troubled world struggling for hope, sky lanterns provide a tangible connection to both out futures and our past.<h1>IB</h1>
