Sky Lantern Matters

“An annual lantern festival will be held at Rockville Civic Center from 11 am to 3 pm” appeared in our news feed. The event reminded us that this week is the Lantern Festival, which began celebrated on January 15 based on the Lunar Calendar.

Many activities are held during this occasion, such as eating sweet rice ball soup, guessing lantern riddle, or releasing ‘sky lanterns,’ a viral event in many Asian nations. One well-known tale since the Qing dynasty was that villagers fled to the mountain due to bandits’ attacks. After the bandits left, villagers greeted the neighbor villagers to report safe by releasing these sky lanterns. Therefore, these lanterns are also called “Blessing Lanterns,” “Kongming Lanterns,” or “Peace Lanterns.”

From time to time, releasing sky lanterns has formed a unique custom and special bond with its local community. The entire releasing lantern process reminded us of a WELL feature.

“Additionally, incorporating other key aesthetic elements, such as local culture, materials and art can help celebrate the project’s unique identity and further enrich the space for occupants and visitors.” — WELL M02, Provide Connection to Place

On this momentous day, we framed this card on the wall. May the blessing of the WELL feature become our guidance when we help out with projects next time.

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P.S. a “cultural landscape” means a geographic area, including cultural and natural resources, associated with a historic event, activity, or person or exhibiting other cultural or aesthetic value.