Hawaiʻi locals, visitors speak about their loved ones: Shinnyo Lantern Floating ceremony

Yahoo

27-05-2025

HONOLULU (KHON2) — As the sun sets on Memorial Day at Ala Moana Beach, thousands of candle-lit lanterns begin their gentle drift across the ocean. Each one carries a message, a name, a memory.
Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi is not just the largest Memorial Day event in the country, it is a living chorus of grief, gratitude and hope.
This year marks the 27th Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi ceremony. With its theme 'Many Rivers, One Ocean,' the event brings together over 6,000 lanterns and countless stories from around the world.
The ceremony is free, open to all and aims to create a space for reflection, remembrance and healing.
'I'm memorializing my husband who passed away about four years ago. This year makes four years already,' said attendee Eileen Onomoto. 'And also, my parents, my in-laws also who passed away. Why we do this because it brings us to remember them and their life. And, then, of course, when you miss somebody, you know, that's the hardest part.'
From just after lunchtime, families began to arrive. Some sit on mats to decorate their lanterns with words, photos or prayers. Others walk quietly by the water.
Onomoto added, 'It's every day it is difficult. But with family and friends, you know, we were able to I'm able to, you know, to live on to you to take every day one day at a time.'
Keoni, from Mililani, has been attending for years with his family.
'It's always amazing to see the community come together to remember their loved ones that have passed,' he said. 'And for me, it's my mom. It's for my wife's mom, for our grandparents, our little dog that we lost after 15 years.'
He explained what keeps them coming back.
'I think events like this are important because it gives people a chance to stop and slow down and reflect and maybe get off social media, to get off of all the stuff that they're doing and just take a little bit of time to come together.'
Keoni went on to explain further.
'You feel like the spirit and the energy here of everybody,' he said. 'I think it's kind of nice to come together and share that same type of feeling and not being embarrassed about it. Or, you know, if you're crying, it's okay.'Jerry comes for one reason: 'We're here for my son and a daughter. Both of them passed away when they were babies,' he said. 'For me, it's not to forget that. It's to remember. And, so, it's a once in year event. And I think it's pretty cool that they set this up for us. In fact, everybody. So, I'm thankful.'
Karen, who recently moved to Hawaiʻi from California, said, 'We just moved from California about three months ago. And we've been, I've been watching this event for many years over the TV and stuff and streaming it. And we've always wanted to be here to participate, to honor my parents and his dad.'
She and her husband picked up their lantern bag early in the afternoon.
'I saw so many people with their floating lantern bags. And to me, it really hit home that people, so many people, are using this event to remember their loved ones and to remember their legacy and to be able to do this with thousands of people is just amazing,' she said. 'I get goosebumps just thinking about it.'
Kanako Hirasawa traveled from Japan with a clear purpose. 'We are here to remember our ancestors who were victims of the attack on Pearl Harbor,' she said. 'We are here to honor those who are dying in the Russia-Ukraine war now and all other conflicts in the world. We offer our prayers.'
Sharon Martin came for her mother.
'We're doing this lantern for my mom, Sonja Martin. She passed away. I think it's been about 10 years now,' she said. 'I think this is important for the community. I think it lets everyone get together and remember all our beloved family members, friends, everyone like that. And we get to do, like, our prayers, things like that.'
'I think it's just very special for me,' she added.
Marie and her family flew in from Canada.
'So, it's been a dream of mine for nine years to come over here after volunteering in an office for three years,' she said. 'And this year, 30 years ago, my mom passed away. So, I wanted to come and commemorate that as well.'
Her brother had died only months earlier.
'So, that's why we're here,' she said. 'So, it's been very important because I think it's one of the biggest ceremonies that we have around the world, personally.'
Jeff Walters traveled from Oregon.
'I'm kind of memorializing the past and the present and the future of all persons and anybody and everything,' he said. 'It's just nice to be here visiting with some great friends.'
Joe stood quietly, the last living brother in a line of military service.
'All my brothers, we served in the military, in World War II, Korean War, Vietnam. And I'm the youngest, and I'm the only one alive,' he said. 'They're all buried at Veterans Cemetery in Hanoi and the National Cemetary at Punchbowl.'
'I put the flag on my lantern, too; and I salute,' he said. 'You like to light the candle and then get a floating lantern. And when you watch the news, you can see your lantern going out.'
Rita Chavez was there for her father, her grandparents and her close friends.
'Really close friends who are veterans, who died,' she said. 'And I think it's really important to memorialize them and remember their names because we don't want these names to be lost.'
'We want to carry on those memories, and we want to make sure that they're always remembered for that,' she added.
As the last lanterns fade into the ocean, their glow doesn't disappear. They carry thousands of memories, names whispered, tears shed, lives honored.
You can watch the ceremony and here. You can watch the full interviews in the video above.
Get news on the go with KHON 2GO, KHON's morning podcast, every morning at 8
On Memorial Day, Ala Moana Beach becomes a river of stories flowing into a single ocean. A place where strangers stand together, connected by love, by loss and by light.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.