Photo by Vuong Vu
“FROM HIROSHIMA TO HOPE” ANNUAL LANTERN FLOATING PEACE CEREMONY @ GREEN LAKE
FAMILY PROGRAM
Tuesday, August 6, 2024 | 6 - 9 PM PDT | FREE, DONATIONS WELCOME
With music, dance and poetry leading to a lantern floating ceremony at dusk, this year’s From Hiroshima to Hope event on the 79th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima (on August 6) and Nagasaki (on August 9) honors the victims of the atomic bombings, and all victims of violence.
Lanterns will be provided and personalized with calligraphy by members of the Beikuku Shodo Kenkyu Kai (Japanese) and the Gurudwara Singh Sabha of Washington and Khalsa Gurmat School (Gurmukhi). The event will take place just south of the Seattle Public Theater (aka Bathhouse Theater), on Green Lake’s NW shore, at West Green Lake Drive North and Stone Ave North.
6 PM Gathering at Green Lake/Time to get your lanterns personalized.
7 PM Family Program (performances and keynote speaker)
8 PM Lantern floating ceremony followed by attendees floating candle-lit lanterns at dusk.
The keynote speaker is Naomi Otswald Kawamura, Executive Director of Densho, an organization dedicated to preserving the story of the World War II-era incarceration of Japanese Americans. This year marks the 82nd anniversary of Executive Order 9066, which led to the incarceration of Japanese Americans on the U.S. West Coast.
Performing artists include choreographer Gabrielle Nomura Gainor, debuting a new dance performance,“Honoring our Ancestors"; Japanese American drum group, Seattle Kokon Taiko; Troy Osaki, an award-winning Filipino Japanese poet, organizer, and attorney; Sound Singers, a Japanese choir, with folksinger Michael Stern; traditional Japanese koto music with Koto no WA, and a musical performance by Red Eagle Soaring Native Youth Theatre.
The candle-lit lantern ceremony begins at 8:00 p.m., with lanterns floating on the lake at dusk. This year is the 40th anniversary of From Hiroshima to Hope, one of the largest commemorations of the atomic bombings held outside of Japan.
This event is created annually by the non-profit organization, From Hiroshima to Hope, and is sponsored by local community organizations, with grant support from The City of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, and Seattle Parks and Recreation.
COVID safety protocols will be followed. Due to the number of attendees, including vulnerable populations, masks are encouraged for the safety and well-being of all.