Candle-lit lanterns will spark hope at From Hiroshima to Hope, Seattle’s annual lantern-floating peace ceremony, on Tuesday evening, August 6 at Green Lake.
Candle-lit lanterns will spark hope at From Hiroshima to Hope, Seattle’s annual lantern-floating peace ceremony, on Tuesday evening, August 6 at Green Lake.
The event includes music, poetry, speakers and candle-lit lanterns floating on the lake. Marking the 79th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, From Hiroshima to Hope honors the bombings’ victims and all victims of war and violence. This year also marks the 82nd anniversary of Executive Order 9066, which led to the incarceration of Japanese Americans on the U.S. West Coast.
From Hiroshima to Hope begins at 6 p.m. with lantern preparation. The family program gets underway at 7 p.m.
This year’s 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; 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, and traditional Japanese koto music with Koto no WA.
The candle-lit lantern ceremony begins at 8 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. The 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. It is held just south of the Bathhouse, on Green Lake’s northwest shore near West Green Lake Drive North and Stone Ave North, and is free and open to the public. For more information: call 206-928-2590 or visit https://fromhiroshimatohope.org or https://www.facebook.com/FromHiroshimaToHope.