11 Sep Annual 9/11 Memorial Floating Lanterns Ceremony

Floating Lantern Ceremony

The ancient custom of floating lighted lanterns in waterways symbolizes respect for the lives of people who have gone before us, the lit lanterns are meant to guide our lost loved ones along their spiritual journeys. It also represents a light of hope for peace and harmony that we send over the waters of transmigration. This very colorful, but quiet and serene ceremony provides a place to reaffirm our commitment to building a peaceful future and to pay respect to the lost lives at the World Trade Center.

Sutra Chanting

In Hiroshima, Toro Nagashi also commemorates those lost to the 1945 dropping of the atomic bomb. Reverend T. Kenjitsu Nakagaki of the New York Buddhist Church passes on the tradition to New Yorkers in a ceremony honoring friends and family lost six years ago at the World Trade Center. Before the sutra chanting, meditation, and taiko drumming, attendees can write names of the departed and wishes for peace on candlelit vessels to send down the Hudson.

Taiko Drumming

When: Tue 9.11 (6-9pm)
Where: Hudson River @ W Houston (South Side of the Pier 40 bldg, 212.678.0305) map
Price: Donations appreciated
Details (pdf)

[youtube TbE5HtqU7us nolink]