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Annual Lantern Festival in JP back on after programming suspension

E-mail | Print | Comments () Posted by Matt Rocheleau May 11, 2011 12:14 PM

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By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent

After temporarily suspending all programming for strategic planning, the Forest Hills Education Trust announced it will hold one of its most popular yearly events, the Lantern Festival.

The annual event at Lake Hibiscus, now in its 13th year, is scheduled for July 14, the organization announced in an e-mail Wednesday. July 21 is scheduled as a rain date.

“A much-loved community event for Jamaica Plain, as well as Greater Boston, the Lantern Festival draws its inspiration from the Japanese [Buddhist] Bon Festival -- a celebration each year when a door opens to the world of their ancestors allowing loved ones to send messages to the other side,” the e-mail said. “It is a time when neighbors come together to share stories, celebrate, and honor the memories of loved ones.”

The trust halted all programming, including the Lantern Festival, indefinitely when strategic planning began at the start of 2011. The move came shortly after its executive director of 10 years stepped down. The planning process, which includes surveying local residents, is still ongoing, the nonprofit group said, adding that more event announcements are forthcoming.

Festival admission is free. A key part of the ritual is sending out memorial lanterns on water. A $10 donation is requested per lantern. Parking is $10 and attendees are encouraged to use public transit. For more information, visit www.foresthillstrust.org or call 617.524.3150.

E-mail Matt Rocheleau at mjrochele@gmail.com.