4 days ago
Bon festival lanterns decorated by children light up 2011 disaster area
Paper lanterns painted by children are being used to light up a cemetery in a northeastern Japanese city hit by the 2011 quake and tsunami, during the annual Buddhist Bon festival.
Natori City in Miyagi Prefecture is holding the illumination event for the first time. The cemetery is located near Yuriage district, which was hard-hit by the tsunami. The cemetery houses the graves of many victims of the disaster.
One hundred lanterns with various seasonal images made by local elementary school children were lit at sunset on Monday.
Ancestral spirits are believed to return home during the Bon festival.
One woman, who visited the site with her child who is in the second grade of elementary school, said the illumination is a reminder of the importance of human lives. She added that she wanted to share the experience of the 2011 disaster with children who were born after it.
The event will be held every night until Sunday.
