Friday, April 30th, 2010

Show your love with a lantern display. Sky lanterns are often used in celebrations such as weddings, anniversaries or birthdays. Valentine’s Day is also a good occasion for Sky Lanterns. In Asian culture it is releasing sky lanterns symbolizes good luck. It is a sign that all your problems are lifted and floating away. During the Loi Kratong lantern festival in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand, there is a get together where couples converge on the banks of the river and float flowers that were arranged by hand and then they release ‘Khom Loy’ jointly.

Weddings

Weddings offer two opportunities for Sky Lanterns. Firstly, the newlyweds can send off a pair of lanterns together. In Asia it is considered good luck to release sky lanterns as many people, especially Buddhists, believe them to be symbolic of problems and worries floating away. In Thailand lanterns are offered to temples and monks in the belief that in return they will achieve enlightenment. The flame used in the sky lantern symbolizes wisdom. The light emitted from the lantern is said to light the path that will be correct to keep them on track in life. One does not need to be Buddhist to admire the deep serenity of the lantern floating gracefully through the air.

The glow of the bride and groom is enhanced by this dazzling spectacle. After the newlyweds have released a pair of lanterns it’s time for the guests to participate. One at a time they release their lanterns and the sky is aglow with warm illumination. Traditionally, sky lanterns are set off to accent a prayer in the idea that as the lantern elevated it floated closer to the heavens, making it easier for the gods to hear.

People often write prayers or wishes on a lantern before sending it off. A wedding is a time of new bonds, when the couple is looking toward the future. Sky Lanterns are a time honoured tradition of well wishing making them ideal for a wedding both for their aesthetic value and symbolic value. Night Sky Lanterns offers a Wedding Package at http://www.nightskylanterns.co.uk/lantern-packs/wedding-packages/prod_13.html that comes in traditional white. On the page there’s a video of a lantern launch at a wedding reception.

Anniversaries

Anniversaries are another opportunity for launching Sky Lanterns. Just as weddings are a ritual of bonding, anniversaries are a celebration of those bonds. An anniversary celebrated outdoors culminating with the soft glow lanterns in the night sky allows a couple to pause and reflect on their time spent together with an eye to the future.

Valentine’s Day

Among all the occasions when you can show your love with a sky lantern display Valentine’s Day by far offers the most opportunities. Of course couples can launch them together just as with a wedding. But for the truly adventurous, those who relish in surprising a lover with a spectacular display, a timed launch by a hidden group of friends will no doubt leave a lasting impression. The gentle ascent of the softly glowing lanterns into the night sky is a stunning backdrop when giving a Valentine’s gift at the end of a romantic dinner. The effect is greatly enhanced when using heart shaped sky lanterns such as those offered by Night Sky Lanterns at http://www.nightskylanterns.co.uk/novelty-sky-lanterns/heart-shaped-sky-lanterns/prod_17.html.

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Thursday, April 29th, 2010

Are you planning a party? Perhaps a wedding, anniversary or birthday party? If you want to make it a truly memorable occasion you need Sky Lanterns. Sky lanterns are traditionally released for good luck in Asian countries but they are also used in celebrations such as weddings, anniversaries or birthdays. As they float into the air the sky is aglow with a warm illumination. The dazzling display in the night sky can be seen for several miles. Night Sky Lanterns, makers of the first Eco Friendly Sky Lantern (100% biodegradable with no metal wire) features an impressive photo collection of Sky Lanterns in use on their website at http://www.nightskylanterns.co.uk/see-in-action/info_5.html. Sky Lanterns can achieve heights of up to 15 or even 20 miles before the fuel cell burns out and the lantern falls back to earth.

Various Uses

Sky lanterns originated the Ping-xi area of Northern Taiwan. Initially used for military purposes they were later used for every day activities such as farmers sending them off in hopes of a good crop. Eventually, they became a staple in celebrations for good luck. This use continues today such as the lantern festival in Shifen (near Pingxi). In Asian culture it is considered good luck to release sky lanterns as they symbolize problems and worries floating away. In Northern Thailand sky lanterns are used year round for spiritual celebrations and other special occasions, a practice that is gaining popularity in the Western hemisphere as well. While the use of Sky Lanterns in Asia is centred around spiritual celebrations and the belief in bringing luck, in the West they have become popular at weddings, birthday parties and other outdoor events that attract large groups of people.

Group activity

A Lantern launch is something to involve everybody. Once unpackaged, the lanterns are ready to launch within 30-45 seconds. Each guest lights the fuel cell in their lantern then one by one lets them go. For special occasions guests can write personal messages on the lanterns with a Sharpie marker pen. Some draw pictures. Everybody is involved in this event which creates a truly wonderful display in the night sky. As the beautifully glowing lanterns float gently away into the night sky guests are left with a memory that will stay with them forever.

Personalizing your party

Night Sky Lanterns offers several tailored packages including the Wedding Package, in all white for the fairy tale touch, and the Birthday Package where the number of Lanterns corresponds with the birthday boy or girl’s age. They also have a Party Season Pack, which includes glow sticks and other novelties. There are novelty lanterns shown at http://www.nightskylanterns.co.uk/novelty-sky-lanterns/cat_21.html. The yellow Smiley Lanterns are popular at New Year’s while couples celebrating Valentine’s Day or their anniversary are inclined toward the heart shaped Lanterns. Sports fans can celebrate their team’s win with “football” lanterns. Their most distinguishable however is their Eco Friendly Lantern, the first to replace the metal wire holding the fuel cell with a biodegradable material, Dragon’s Wool. Sky Lanterns can personalize any special event with a spectacular sight that will be long remembered.

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Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

The top five reasons to use sky lanterns for a special occasion are undoubtedly their aesthetic value, historical significance, the act of ritual, environmental safety and for adding a personal touch.

Aesthetics

Nothing compares to the sight of a flock of sky lanterns floating gracefully upwards to the heavens. The warm illumination of the night sky is magical to behold. It is the perfect climax to any special occasion, be it a wedding, birthday party or New Year’s celebration. The sight is one that builds slowly and quietly as the lanterns are lit and released one at a time, culminating in a softly illuminated night sky that is quite different from the quick loud bang of fireworks.

History

Sending off sky lanterns is a traditional practice in the Orient dating back to the 3rd Century AD. It’s one thing to study history and another to participate in it. When sending off sky lanterns during an important ceremony or event the participants are a living part of the tradition. Nothing connects a person to history like the enactment of a tradition practice, adding to the ongoing tradition.

Ritual

In Asia it is widely believed, particularly among Buddhists, that the airborne sky lanterns symbolize a person’s problems floating away. And in Thailand the lantern’s flame is said to symbolize wisdom; lanterns are offered to temples and monks in the belief that enlightenment will be received in return. While these beliefs are specific to a culture based in Buddhism the enactment of ritual in any culture serves to focus the minds of the participants. In a wedding, for example, the guests wish good fortune for the newlyweds. The act of sending off a flock of sky lanterns imbues a mood of tranquillity amongst the guests and provides a collective focus of well wishes for the bride and groom.

Ecology

Sky lanterns have not always been equated with ecology, with many farmers and environmentalists rightly concerned what happens to the lanterns when they fall back the earth. However, Night Sky Lanterns makes an eco-friendly sky lantern as shown on their website at http://www.nightskylanterns.co.uk/eco-lanterns/cat_19.html. The metal wire holding the fuel cell, which has been the major problem, has been replaced by a biodegradable material called Dragon’s Wool. Where previously the leftover metal wire caused injury or death to livestock and wildlife when accidently ingested the biodegradable wool causes no such problem. The wool, along with the rice paper and bamboo that comprise the bulk of the lantern, are all natural fibres. And unlike fireworks sky lanterns release no toxic gases.

Personalization

In an increasingly homogenized world it becomes ever more important to put an individual stamp on a personal occasion such as a wedding or New Year’s. And no celebration is more memorable than the one tailored to both the guests and the occasion. Sky Lanterns are offered in a variety of colours, such as the ones from Night Sky Lanterns shown at http://www.nightskylanterns.co.uk/lantern-packs/coloured-lantern-packages/prod_18.html. They usually come in two shapes, a large cylindrical or a smaller one that resembles a miniature hot air balloon. There are also novelty shapes such as heart, footballs and cubes such as the ones seen at http://www.nightskylanterns.co.uk/novelty-sky-lanterns/cat_21.html. For those more inclined toward the traditional there is the practice, as old as the lanterns themselves, of writing a personal note on each lantern. In a large ceremony such as a wedding it is common for each guest to write their personal best wishes for the couple on their own lantern, bringing history and tradition together with personal touch.

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