Water lantern

What it is

A water lantern is a lamp that floats. Depending on the water it is put on, people also call it a floating lamp, a river lamp or a lake lamp. Many are simple things built from leaves and flowers. In China a lantern may be square or shaped like a lotus. Paper is common elsewhere, and in Japan the lanterns are paper ones sent down a river. What makes them one family is the letting go: the light is not kept but released onto the water, where it drifts.

Origins and spread

The custom is traced back to India, and from there it went with Hindu and Buddhist culture into much of Asia. In India the lamps belong to festivals and offerings, especially those falling on a full moon night. Vietnam, China, Korea and Japan each shaped their own version. In China such lamps were already used at festivals by the Tang dynasty, and Chinese names them by the water they float on, so a lamp on a river is 河灯 or 江燈 and one on a lake is 湖燈. In Korea the lamp goes by 유등, which means light.

How it is kept

In Japan the ceremony is called tōrō nagashi and is held on the closing night of the Bon Festival. Participants float paper lanterns down a river, in the belief that the lights help the souls of the departed find the spirit world. In Vietnam lanterns are set on the water in Hội An on the first, fourteenth and fifteenth days of the Vietnamese calendar and on every Saturday. In Honolulu a large ceremony, Lantern Floating Hawaii, takes place on Memorial Day at Magic Island. Ceremonies also take place in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Seattle.

What it means

Across these countries the lamps carry more than one hope. In India and the lands around it, the main purposes are worship, turning misfortune away and welcoming good fortune, and the lights are also believed to guide souls that are in the water. Young people sometimes ask for a good marriage. In Japan the mood is quieter: floating a lantern shows respect for the dead and gives people a moment to think about ancestors, loved ones or even a much loved pet. For those who take part, the drifting light is an offering and a farewell at once.

How Water lantern is kept

People gather at the edge of a river, a lake, a canal or the sea, usually after dark. Each person takes a lantern, sometimes a simple one of leaves and flowers, sometimes a paper one, and lights it. The lantern is placed on the water and let go, and the current carries it off. In Japan this happens on the closing night of the Bon Festival. In Vietnam the release in Hội An is a familiar sight on certain calendar days and on Saturdays. Elsewhere the lamps go out during festivals, at memorial ceremonies, or with a prayer attached.

When and where

The Bon Festival, when Japan floats its lanterns, runs from the thirteenth to the sixteenth of August, or of July, depending on which calendar is used. In Vietnam lamps are released in Hội An on the first, fourteenth and fifteenth days of the Vietnamese calendar and on Saturdays. Many Indian occasions fall on a full moon.

The custom belongs to India, China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan, and it is kept too in places where people from those countries have settled. Hội An in Vietnam is known for its regular releases, while Honolulu, the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle hold their own ceremonies. In Japan the lanterns travel down rivers on the last night of Bon.

What Water lantern means

A floating lamp is a prayer with a light in it. Indian lamps are offered to the gods, and are meant to carry trouble away and bring happiness in. They are also believed to show the way to souls in the water. Japanese families float them so that those who have died can reach the spirit world, and find in the ceremony a quiet moment to remember. Setting a light adrift says both things at once: a request and a goodbye.

Days Water lantern is marked

Questions people ask about Water lantern

See also

HalloweenAn annual observance on 31 October marking the eve of All Saints' Day, rooted in Christian tradition and Celtic heritageDiwaliA five-day festival of lights celebrated across India and its diaspora to mark the victory of light over darkness.MawlidAn annual festival marking the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, marked by poetry, processions and feasts.HoliA spring festival of colours and bonfires that marks the end of winter and the triumph of good over evil.

Good reading and sources

• Water lantern on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.