Aug 29 2022 - Mooncake and Lantern Festivals

 

I am wondering why we don't have a lantern festival in August.  This is one of the great Chinese and Asian harvest festivals.   We did?  Right nearby? How was it? "Just last week, on August 20th, a U.S.-based event company had a lantern festival outside Toronto.  The Lights Festival was held on a farm in Six Nations on Aug. 20, despite community concerns around permissions and safety. Many ticket holders, some who came from more than 100 kilometres away, were turned back by Six Nations police, while others were able to reach the property and release lanterns.  Viive Events is the Utah-based company behind the The Lights Festival, where people light a lantern and let it fly through the sky.  Festivals take place across the U.S. and Canada, and have triggered concerns before. The company held the event on private property, the Johnson Farm which was on the Six Nations Reserve.   Having it on the Reserve meant that safety laws were different and with this "loophole" 5,000 ticket holders would be able to fly their lanterns.  Into the largest Carolinian forest in southern Ontario.  It was mayhem when the police evicted people.  Refunds were demanded.  No wonder, one person said she paid $122 for two tickets.  Out of the supposed 5,000 tickets, it turns out that 300 lanterns did get into the air. "We did everything that the venue had told us to do," said Drew Dunn, a manager with U.S.-based Viive Events. There are more light festivals coming up by the same US company - Atlanta, Washington D.C., Utah, New York/New Jersey, Chicago and Denver.  The one in New York/New Jersey is actually in Coatsville, Pennsylvania and very close to Kennett Square/Longwood gardens.   The Washington DC area festival is in York Haven, PA.   That's south of Harrisburg.  It seems a safer is a water lantern festival - and one was held recently in Welland, nearby.  All went well there.

We have two versions today - quite a wonderful display at the Performing Arts Centre, and in the garden a few summers ago. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Feb 26 2021 - Let's Lantern Tonight!

 

I think we set in our "Western Ways." We mostly ignore an opportunity for a Lantern Festival.  This is the final day of the traditional Chinese New Year.  It is marked with massive displays of lanterns.  Wikipedia tells me that festivals are held in some western cities - in London and various U.S. cities.  New York's is the largest.  But these seem more like a commercial version of the traditional Chinese festival.  At the same time, I realize it is hard to just 'adopt' them.  These sorts of traditions have ancient roots in religious celebrations.  That's what makes our holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and so on so special for us.     On the other hand, it is never too late to adapt.  So let's check nearby.  Niagara Falls is an international attraction so should have something for tourists who celebrate the lunar new year.  Of course it does! And here it is:   "Buy your ticket now! Seasky International Light Show is coming to Niagara. This visually spectacular lantern and light festival will allow you to explore over 30 magical light displays on the illuminated trail that you can walk at your leisure. Light up the darkness and bring a smile to your face!"  The pictures are amazing - great big displays  Here's the website HERE.  However, we're in the COVID gray zone so we're in lockdown, and tickets are on hold right now.  With only two days left, it seems a shame to have only found out about it now - early December was the opening.  However, the opening was postponed, so let's hope for next year to celebrate this event.  What else made me think of lanterns today?  The Snow Moon 2021 is out.  What a huge moon it was - both last night in the east and this morning in the west.   Today, February 27 is the 'big day' so take a look out and enjoy the lantern festival we have. Doesn't this pretty entrance gate look perfect for such an event as the Snow Moon?  This is the Moon Gate entrance to the gardens at Lost Horizons nursery.  The white sign says "Display Gardens". And here's what we would experience at the entrance to the Seasky Lantern Festival 2021. Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Oct 27 2020 - Halloween and the Darkest Night Fun

 

NASA is going to share an exciting new discovery - it is something about there being more water on the Moon than previously thought, including water in a sunlit region.  The announcement is at noon today. At the other end of the spectrum, we have this weekend's celebration of the darkness of the haunted corn mazes and farms in Ontario.  They are open after dark for a night full of Halloween terror.  Fonthill boasts the Howell Family Pumpkin Farm.  I found it by accident one year on a drive for fall foliage.  There were hundreds of cars parked along the country road and in the field with people everywhere.  They are open this year - they have removed the live show and the hay play but have kept the corn maze, train ride, and jumping pillow. You will see lots of little children and families at this attraction. Niagara Falls is lit up for Halloween this year with vivid orange illumination.   Niagara Falls tourism includes a number of Lundy Lane attractions on the scary theme. Even Niagara on the Lake has Ghost Walks and Ghost tours of Fort George. Our picture is Witch Hazel leaves  on the scanner.  They look like flames of fire.

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To the Light

This is Family Day Weekend, so there are a lot of family events on everywhere.  The Distillery District in Toronto has the Light Festival on until March 3rd. You can see the highlights of the 2018 Festival in their gallery HERE.  It "will transform the neighbourhood into one of the largest open-air galleries in North America, lighting up the long winter nights with distinctive works from local and international light artists." Yelp has more pictures HERE.  And there are some YouTube postings such as this one HERE - it doesn't have ads.  If you go to TripAdvisor, there are 7,490 traveler reviews and 4,062 candid photos.  That's a lot of scrolling... There is a Winter Light Exhibition on at Ontario Place. This is surprising, given its semi-dormant status, but maybe I haven't been keeping up with its news.  This is also an art installation display with information about each piece on display.  There is one titled The Greenhouse - "it glows in the dark of winter, rich with greenery and blooming plants, yet simultaneously engulfed by a fire that's ablaze within". We were at the Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines last night for the Oscar Peterson Jazz Festival concert.  The walls of the theatre light up and have a wonderful presence in the space creating an indoor light festival.

Life Experiences with Elvis

If I were a younger person, would I use this service?  Lifexperiences.ca will help me find an 'experience' and send it as a gift.  If we look at the Lifestyle section, there are experiences such as: Axe Throwing in Saint Anns 30 Day Yoga Adventure - For Two Learn to Shop like a Pro Home-staging to sell OR Home-staging to stay My own idea is the following:  Did you know that there is a Niagara Falls Elvis Festival from April 20 - 22?  This is its second year.  There are gala shows, an Elvis Competition, delicious food, fun times and cool surprises, according to the website.  And then there is the Niagara Falls, with its thunderous water, flowers, and attractions. How many Elvis Festivals are there?  There's the Official Elvis Festival, at Lake George, New York.  There's one in Collingwood, Las Vegas, Texas, Georgia, and more.  Did you know that the largest festival is in Collingwood, Ontario?  It's in July.  If we were visiting Australia, the festival is January 9 - 13th next year.    There is an Elvis Week in Memphis in August.  It includes a candlelight vigil celebration.  Or watch the coverage here and see Elvis' comeback performance.  There's so much Elvis to go around that there is Elvis Radio - it is a station that plays Elvis 24/7.  That's a lot of Elvis music having been recorded.  Quora lists 523 albums and approximately 784 songs.   Some pretty pink lilies today.

Celebrating Imbolc!

February 1st-2nd marks a confluence of several feasts and occasions including: the Celtic feast of Imbolc, St. Brigid’s Day, Candlemas, Feast of the Presentation, and Groundhog Day! Imbolc is a Celtic feast that is cross-quarter day, meaning it is the midway point between the winter solstice and spring equinox.  The sun marks the four Quarter Days of the year (the Solstices and Equinoxes) and the midpoints are the cross-quarter days.  In some cultures, lis Ireland, February 2nd is the official beginning of spring.  St. Brigid is said to bring the first sign of life after the long dark nights of winter. She breathes into the landscape so that it begins to awaken. Snowdrops, the first flowers of spring are one of her symbols." These words come from the abbeyofthearts.com.  This link has the free resources for becoming a monk in the world (of arts). Can you imagine having snowdrops now?  I am waiting and waiting for the little buds to blossom in the greenhouse.  I had hoped they would come out at Christmas, and here we are a month later.  Still, we're a month closer to spring.   And also consider that in Ireland Spring starts February 2nd.  In China, Spring goes from Feb 4 - May 5.  We could be in the southern hemisphere and summer started December 1 and ends February 29 this year.   This is the month of Camellias blooming in the Longwood Conservatory.

November is Chrysanthemum Month

Many people think of November as a sad time because the flowers are gone from the garden.  It's true that the gardens are losing their charm, the trees their leaves, and the cold winds are starting to blow.  I go indoors in November to the Conservatories and Greenhouses to find the Chrysanthemum Celebrations.  Today's images are from the Centennial Greenhouse in west-end Toronto, where there's a beautiful Chrysanthemum Festival on during November.

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