Floating Lighted Lanterns

On September 11, a Japanese traditional ceremony was held as mourning for casualties at WTC 6 years ago. It's called "Floating Lighted Lanterns". This is the Japanese custom in which people commemorate their ancestor's soul. The lanterns, on which the messages for peace and happiness are written, are floated on the river. The light of lanterns represents the souls of the dead, and people see them off with remembrance about people in the past.

A Japanese volunteer group, NY de Volunteer, in Manhattan began this event in New York 5 yeard ago on September 11. Every year, the event has been gathering more and more visitors. I participated in this event as one of volunteers. Many American people sympathized this ceremony and wrote their messages on lanterns with wish for peace. The representative of this volunteer group asked people, "What can we do as individual? And what we can do for ourselves, instead of waiting for others doing aomething?"

I found that the most remarkable point of this even is overcoming the border of religion. For the ceremony, many priests from various kinds of religions got together at the same place and prayed one after another. Although I don't know well about any religions because I'm nonreligious person, I could see some hope that people can talk and understand each other over the differences of belief.