Tacloban Sky Lantern launch marks Tiger New Year & Valentine’s Day
“Kung Hei Fat Choi!”
Happy New Year! in Chinese greeting. This year, the celebration of the Chinese New Year fell exactly on the same date as Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2010. According to Chinese Astrology, this year is the year of Metal Tiger.
And what could be a more fitting way to celebrate both Valentine’s Day and the Chinese New Year but to have a sky lantern launching – a first for the City of Tacloban!
Sky lanterns or mini-hot air balloons have become popular in some Asian countries where they have been incorporated into festivals like the Chinese Mid-Autumn and Lantern Festivals, also in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
Many of these festivals are held following one’s cultural calendar marking a new year wherein sky lanterns are released.
It is considered good luck to release a sky lantern, and many also believe they are symbolic of problems and worries floating away. One also sends prayers and wishes with these lit lanterns.
Spearheaded by the Leyte Sky Lantern Society, a hundred or so mini-hot air balloons were lit and released yesterday at sundown at the Balyuan Grounds, Tacloban City.
It was an awesome sight!
View more photos.
View slideshow.
gerryruiz photoblog 
Very, very nice… In behalf of the Sky Lantern Society, our heartfelt thanks for making the occasion a success with all these pictures… Indeed, God is so, so good for allowing us to use this event to show to the whole Philippines that Taclobanons can be united in one common goal. We were able to lift up to the heavens our wishes and prayers with great fun – and great feelings and wonderment in the faces of many people who joined us. We are thankful that through this activity, we can creatively send off to “Bro” our prayers and wishes. In spite of the bad weather at first, people decided to stay… Wow, talaga… Again, many thanks!!!
There’s a Sky Lantern Society??? Where is it based?
The newly-formed Leyte Sky Lantern Society, based in Tacloban City, was the organizer of the event.
how can i contact sky lantern society?
Search for Leyte Sky Lantern Society at Facebook. 😉