What: Gardens Of Light lantern festival
When: September 2 and running until October 31, 2016
Who: Family, neighbor, friends
Lantern Festival in mainland China is usually held on the 15th day of the Chinese New Year.
In Montreal, botanical garden hosts Gardens Of Light every year to mirror this tradition from China. It even has a different theme each year: this year, it is The Son Of Heaven, focusing on the life of one of China’s emperors.
We had good time there. Adults had good time chatting with each other (at least they are not chatting through app on their handset device); kids enjoyed several hours walking and running. I practiced my photography there and learned a lot about Chinese ancient culture.
Let the photo feast begin:
2016 Edition: The Son of Heaven:
Lovely pandas:
Kirin: Qilin or Kirin, a mythical creature known in various East Asian cultures which is a good omen thought to occasion prosperity or serenity;
No, it is not a dragon; it is a Kirin:
The lion surrounded by roses:
The Forbidden City: “the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty—the years 1420 to 1912. It is located in the centre of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. It served as the home of emperors and their households as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government for almost 500 years”.
To make it simple: The Forbidden City: the emperor’s home:
A fact not to be missed: all the lanterns were shipped from Shanghai which is basically Montreal’s sister city.
Chinese Zheng, a Chinese traditional plucked musical string instrument with over 2500 years of history:
Waterfall Cave:
It is getting darker now:
We walked towards Japanese Garden and things got complicated..
There were creepy nests all over the place; there was flickering sound here and there; the lights are moving…:It makes the Japanese Garden more unpredictable thus more interesting:
People together:
Animals together:
Smile to light up the dark night: friends and hometown fellows:
Good job to everyone!