It was established to facilitate our annual Horn Pond Memorial Lantern Walk. Each year on the first Sunday before Memorial Day, we gather at Horn Pond to light our lanterns in honor of those we love who have left this earth, while celebrating the life we share as a community. Our Origins
Lanterns Festivals have roots in communities all over the world. Cailin O’Toole admired these traditions of ga
thering together sending a message of light through beautiful lantern vessels. As an organizer for many years in Jamaica Plain, Cailin is introduced to local lantern festivals. The foremost being The Jamaica Pond Lantern Parade hosted by Spontaneous Celebrations . Our lantern making methods were adapted from the basic lantern design of a 3 liter bottle decorated with tissue paper which was introduced by the founders of this wonderful Solstice celebration. Spontaneous Celebrations continues to be a great contributor to our Memorial Lantern Walk, through its annual donation of 3 liter bottles. (LEARN MORE http://www.spontaneouscelebrations.org/cultural-programming/festivals-and-events.html) Another great inspiration is the Forest Hills Educational Trust’s Annual Lantern Festival, a multicultural event with roots in the Japanese Bon Festival which features memorial lanterns (LEARN MOREhttp://www.foresthillstrust.org/calendar.html)
We shared our first Horn Pond Memorial Lantern walk in the spring of 2005. Cailin O’Toole created the event after witnessing her children and their peers cope with many tragic young deaths. She saw no constructive outlet for openly dealing with these tragedies and realized the youth and community will benefit from this positive event. We gather each year and together we light our lanterns to remember our loved ones who have passed on and to appreciate the ones who are still present. A participant needs only to embrace the energy of light and community, whether carrying the lantern light with us at Horn Pond or lighting a candle in spirit from wherever you are. As a community and as individuals, we have all suffered from tragic losses. For us the Memorial Lantern Walk is a chance to peacefully honor the memories of our loved ones so that they may live on through our light. We keep in our minds and hearts the spirit of those we have lost as we create our lanterns and walk together as a community. Many great souls have inspired us to continue this event. One being in particular is Michael Francis Lutz, son of Cailin O’Toole, resident of Woburn, and citizen of the world. When he was a senior at Woburn High, he encouraged, inspired and supported the event as a way to send positive energy from our grief. Celebrating life through our mourning times can be a tremendous challenge. We must be strong for ourselves and each other. Sadly, on January 27, 2008 at 22 years old, Michael was killed in a car accident. He is still encouraging, inspiring and supporting the work of bringing the Spirit of United Light Lanterns to Woburn and beyond. Be Present
We encourage each participant to embody the spirit of those loved ones they have lost by creating a lantern in their memory and carrying it with the community, as we unify in our grief of past tragedies and our hope for a positive future. Please feel free to share on our page the memory and name of a lost loved one who inspires your participation in the lantern memorial walk, as we have done for Michael. In the past we have held public workshops but found them to be counterproductive to our original mission, due to the lack of funds which in turn allows for little promotion and therefore minimal turn out. Now, we are encouraging independent action through personal workshops. S.O.U.L Lanterns founders will be hosting small private workshops by invite. If you are interested in attending please post on our page or send a message so we can include you. We will also be providing lantern kits for a small donation for those who wish to host their own workshops in honor of their loved ones. We will be available for demonstrations upon request, and we are working on a web tutorial for those seeking the complete in home approach. For those unable to participate in a workshop, Lanterns will be available at the event for a donation. Suggested donations are $5, $10, or $15. All donations go to Friends of Mary Cummings Trust Park (http://cummingspark.org/)
Remember we need your active participation to continue this annual community event. Please feel free to leave comments and questions on our page. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
