To end our stay in Hoi An, we decided to participate in the lunar festival. This celebration happens every 29 days (once every lunar month) on the night of the full moon. The festival gives people a chance to honour their ancestors and wish for good luck.
In Asia, many people follow the lunar calendar. A lunar week is seven days long, a lunar month is about twenty eight days, and a lunar year is about 13 months. The festival is always celebrated about 14 days after a new moon.
We were able to experience this holiday in the Old Town which was beautiful! All of the electricity was turned and the only light came from the lanterns in the street. It was stunning to see the town lit up by the lanterns like the ones we made in our lantern making class, but even more incredible to see thousands of candles floating down the river.
One of my favorite parts was seeing all of the little children and the old ladies in their traditional costumes selling candles along the banks of the river.
Of course we wanted to have good luck for the rest of our trip, so we all bought candles, made our wishes and lowered them down into the river using a long stick with a small basket at the end.
It reminded me of the Ganga Artie in Haridwar and Rishikesh because of the candles floating down the river. Many people go down the river in boats which reminded me of the movie Tangled, when Rapunzel and Eugene are in a boat watching all of the lanterns in the sky, except in Hoi An, the candles are in the water.
It was a neat experience and we were so lucky to have the opportunity to be a part of this illuminating celebration.
For more information on the lunar festival, click here.
To see the phases of the moon, click here.
Comments
8 responses to “An Enlightening Experience”
Stunning! Where do the candles GO? Every 29 days is a lot of candles! I am envious of countries that have these beautiful festivals….do we have anything that even comes close? You memory ‘bank’ is going to be soooooo full of rich experiences!
Hi!
I don’t really know where the candles go… Into an ocean maybe…. You are right, that is a lot of candles. 🙂
What a beautiful sight that must have been! How wonderful it was for all of you to experience the joy and warmth of this festival! Did the lighting of the candles remind you of our Saturday night Easter service?
Hi!
Now that you mention it, the candles do remind me of the Easter service… 🙂
Hi Zoe,
loved your title! You certainly have beautiful photos with a stunning slide show as well!!!! That certainly was a “neat” experience as you stated! The picture of You and Mikhaila with your beautiful smile says it all! Thanks for sharing. Love, Baba
Hi!
I am glad you like my photos and slideshow. It was a really neat experience! 🙂
Hi, Zoe, this is such a lovely posting with the photos matching your story. I think we should have our own festival like that here, so we can wish for good luck and also remember our ancestors, I think that’s a wonderful idea. By the time you all come back we have to have a whole year of festivals. XOXOXO”s
Hi!
Maybe we can float candles in lake Ontario, or the creek in the rouge….. Or maybe once a month, everyone can just come to Vietnam and we can do it there. 🙂