14th annual Lantern Festival set for July 12 at Forest Hills Cemetery in Jamaica Plain

(Courtney Regan / paintbypixels.com)

By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent

The 14th annual Lantern Festival is set for Thursday, July 12, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The popular event at Lake Hibiscus in Forest Hills Cemetery is run by the Forest Hills Educational Trust. The group said in an e-mail that it needs volunteers to help sell shades, pass out programs and distribute lantern bases among other tasks.

There are two volunteer shifts: from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. Volunteers will receive free parking and a free lantern, according organizers. Those interested should e-mail j_clark@foresthillstrust.org.

“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 trust’s website said. “It is a time when neighbors come together to share stories, celebrate, and honor the memories of loved ones.”

Festival admission is free. Attendees are encouraged to use public transit.

A key part of the ritual is sending out memorial lanterns on water. In past years, a $10 donation has been requested per lantern and parking has cost $10

A rain date for the festival is scheduled for the following Thursday, July 19.

For more information, visit www.foresthillstrust.org or call 617.524.3150.

To see photos from last year’s festival, click here. To share your own photos from last year’s festival, click here.

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