Hiroshima. The floating lanterns ceremony, organised by the eighth Japanese culture festival “Nipponica” returns to Bologna, at the Cavaticcio park, “Il Sole di Hiroshima” (The Sun of Hiroshima). The event was held for charity to commemorate the thousands of victims caused by the atomic bomb explosion of Hiroshima, but also to keep the attention alive on the difficulties resulting from the triple Japanese tragedy of 2011: earthquake, tsunami, and the Fukushima nuclear power plant explosion. Il Sole di Hiroshima enjoys the patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Consulate General of Japan in Milan, the Emilia-Romagna Region, the Municipality of Bologna, and the University of Bologna. At the centre of the event – according to the University website – will be the floating lanterns ceremony. At 19:00 the paper lanterns will be delivered, upon a small donation, to all the participants who can personalise them with drawings, thoughts, or prayers. As evening falls, the lanterns will be switched on and then delivered to the waters of the park’s pond. The floating lanterns ceremony (tōrōnagashi) is celebrated each year in Japan on the occasion of the Obon festival. It is dedicated to the cult of ancestors consisting of lighting large bonfires and small fires to guide the spirits towards the homes of their loved ones. The festival is celebrated around the middle of August except in Hiroshima, where it is held on August 6th to remember the victims of the atomic explosion. The proceeds of the event will be donated to two charitable projects, which will unite Japan and Italy in the name of child protection. (9Colonne)
