The sky was lit with estimated five thousand shimmering lights, and I could not fathom my excitement. The expanse of those floating lights was far beyond visual radius. I was speechless.
This moment of awe overcome my emotions and tears rolled down.
Experience of magnanimity was too much to contain within my heart.
The chill in the wind was replaced with a sensation of sheer joy - fathomless and unanimous...
It was the lantern fest at Pittsburgh.
Food, Music and watching the sun sink beyond the horizon was just a prelude to the awe-inspiring experience to follow.
The rice paper lanterns we had, carried our wishes, doodles, jokes, and intimate emotions. They were to be carried with warmth into the skies. Ancient East Asian tradition, I reckon. Scenes from 'Kubo with two strings' and Disney's 'Rapunzel' had already presented a trailer of what a lantern festival looks like, but what we felt that evening, was all the more grand.
As darkness gathered and gave the skies a velvety inky depth, our eyes started to wander in search of tiki torches and the din from folk-song galore to subside. With bated breath, we lit the tiny cardboard squares underneath the lanterns, watching them fill up with warm air, to begin their journey upward.
All lanterns were lit, and they slowly made their way into the depth of the night sky. Evening chill against warm glow of the lights struck the inner chord as if Hamsadhwani floating on thin air. We watched the lights float and drift away from us...occasionally touching each other, such as our intertwined wishes.
The evening of bonding, sharing marshmallows, sitting by the fire and singing along, taking pictures, doodling and drawing on our lanterns and endless mirth reached its epitome with the lights...
Sheer joy. Of magnanimity. Of lights and a heartfelt experience.
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| An evening which began with chatting, bonding, rekindling lost bonds of friendship and love... |
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| Concert and country music |
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| As teh sky wrapped itself with dark hue, our tiki torches lit up |
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| It was a day to rekindle the youth in the self. To let the young you peep out, once again! |
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| An evening of long talks by the fire, revisiting nostalgia together |
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| To re-experience the bond of love, and gratitude for life |
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| An evening of marshmallows and skewer stick wars! |
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| A night of calling out with lights |
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| A night of sending love one lantern at a time |
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| A night of team-work, group effort and building solidarity |
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| A night of watching a part of you float up the sky, with your doodles and wishes |
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| A night of a new constellation |
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