Stefanie Jefts said she grew up in Hawaii, but last year was the first time she participated in the Lantern Floating Hawaii ceremony at Magic Island.
On Monday she watched as her children, Noah, 5, and Kailee, 2, each decorated a panel for their floating lantern to honor their grandfather, or "gung gung," who died just days before last year’s event.
Noah neatly penned the name in purple marker among an array of dinosaur stickers.
Jefts said her children also were decorating the lantern for Noah’s preschool teacher who died just after Easter.
"I think it’s a beautiful event," she said.
An estimated 40,000 people gathered where sand meets sea along Magic Island and Ala Moana Beach Park to witness the 14th annual spectacular display, and 3,500 twinkling lanterns were sent floating in honor of loved ones.
A barrier stopped most of the lanterns from heading out to sea, and volunteers in canoes waited to collect them and any trays that breached the barrier so they can be used again next year.
The theme of this year’s event was "Many Rivers, One Ocean."
Shinso Ito, the head of Shinnyo-en Buddhism, who presides over the annual event, said during her address that the flickering light from the lanterns represents the tranquility and courage that binds everyone as one ohana, as well as the connection of people’s hearts with those of their lost loved ones.
While last year was the first year Shinso Ito sent off a lantern of her own from shore, this year she released one from a boat on the water.
As she embarked on a white canoe to launch her lantern, which asked for peace and prayers for everyone of the world, past, present and future, the Brothers Cazimero played "Kaena," a song named after Kaena Point, known in Hawaiian tradition as a place where spirits depart for another realm.
To the thousands fortunate enough to launch a lantern of their own, the small wooden vessel is more than just a flickering flame; it represents a spirit, a message, someone’s story sent out to sea.
It can be a symbol of a soul set free, a grief let go or a memory of a loved one that will never fade.
The 90-minute ceremony is rich in cultural traditions such as oli and hula, and gives people peace and comfort, and strength to move on. It’s an event of collective joy and pain, a time to honor lives cut short and lives long-lived.
For some participants, wounds are fresh, for others the event has become a tradition of remembrance.
Jonathan Saechao came for a third year to decorate a lantern with a group of friends. He wrote a letter on one of the panels to his grandfather Lou Fihn, who died in 2003 at age 72.
Saechao said Fihn, a widower with four children, including Saechao’s father, was a refugee who was able to escape with his children from the Viet Cong to Thailand, where the family picked up a sponsorship to go to the United States.
"This is one of those things that’s pretty universal," Saechao said of the event.
His friend Faith Nicolas, a native of Gaithersburg, Md., and a Hawaii Pacific University nursing student, said she enjoys the event because it’s unique.
"I just really appreciate that Hawaii offers this kind of event every year because it allows us to express our love for our loved ones," she said.
As for Bob Woodring of Grantham, Pa., the Memorial Day celebration is a time to give thanks for all his blessings.
For three years, he said, he has traveled to Hawaii to visit his son, who is stationed at Schofield Barracks, and to participate in the event to thank God for watching over his three adult children and for a year’s worth of answered prayers.
"It’s just a time to reflect on all the great things God has done for us," Woodring said.
Like many others, Jefts said she too plans to make the event a tradition for her family.
"It’s just kind of to remember those that mean so much to us, to reflect how each of (our) family and friends have touched our lives."
