An Artist of the Floating World, Novel

 Hello Friends, 

This blog is my response to the task given to us by our Prof. Dr. DilipSir in thinking activity on the novel "An Artist of the Floating World". Happy Learning!

R: Read

U: Understand 

L: Learn 

E: Enjoy

☆ SIGNIFICANCE OF LANTERNS

IN THE NOVEL

• 'Lantern' 🏮appears 34 times in the novel. Even on the cover page, the image of the lanterns is displayed. 

Lanterns in the novel are associated with Ono’s teacher Mori-san, who includes a lantern in each of his paintings and dedicates himself to trying to capture the look of lantern light. For Mori-san, the flickering, easily extinguished quality of lantern light symbolizes the transience of beauty and the importance of giving careful attention to small moments and details in the physical world. Lanterns, then, symbolize an outlook on life which prizes small details and everyday moments above the ideological concerns of nationalists or commercial concerns of businesspeople. It is an old-fashioned, aesthetically focused, and more traditional way of viewing the world.

ORIGINAL LINES FROM THE TEXT

"Morisan's wish was to evoke a certain melancholy, nocturnal atmosphere around his women, and throughout the years I studied under him, he experimented extensively with colours in an attempt to capture the feel of lantern light. Because of this, it was something of a hallmark of Morisan's work that a lantern would always figure somewhere in the picture, by implication if not in actuality."

"A favourite haunt of ours was a small teahouse beside the canal in Kojima Street called "Water Lanterns" ‐‐ for indeed, the lanterns of the establishment could be seen reflected in the canal as one approached."

Water Lanterns - A Prayer for Happiness 

Lantern festivals around the world are defined by the illumination of various things, from rice paper floaters, flickering airborn luminaries, to grounded candlelit objects. Each festival has a deeper meaning, whether religious or just cultural traditional. But simultaneously, lantern festivals are centered around peace and hope. You can see one lantern event, but you haven’t seen them all. Each has its own ambiance and life, many of which would be the experience of a lifetime. These are the best lantern festivals in the world.

6 Lantern Festivals That’ll Brighten Your Life

Full Moon Lantern Festival

Hoi An, Vietnam

In Buddhist tradition, the full moon is considered an ideal time to meditate, reflect, observe rituals, and honor deceased ancestors. As part of this belief, the Full Moon Lantern Festival in Hoi An is held on the 14th day of the lunar calendar every month. At sundown, homes and businesses across the city turn off their electricity and allow lantern lights to illuminate the area. Locals and visitors can release lanterns onto the river, an act that is thought to bring happiness and health.

Spring Lantern Festival

China

The annual Spring Lantern Festival in China can be traced back approximately 2,000 years to when an Eastern Han Dynasty emperor was said to have ordered that all temples, households, and royal palaces light lanterns on the 15th day of the first Chinese lunar month to show respect to the Buddha.

Today, the festival marks the end of the Chinese New Year and celebrates family, society, and the coming of spring. Although specific customs vary regionally, the most prevalent activities involve lighting lanterns, guessing riddles, eating tangyuan (ball-shaped dumplings), and watching traditional lion dance performances. China’s largest Spring Lantern Festival celebration takes place in Nanjing, the capital of the eastern Jiangsu province, but events are held in other cosmopolitan cities such as Shanghai and Beijing, as well as in rural regions across the country.

Pingxi Lantern Festival

Pingxi District, Taiwan

The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival is held annually in Taiwan’s Pingxi District, a mountainous region located approximately one hour east of Taipei. Marking the first full moon of every Lunar New Year—normally during February or March—lantern releases are held in the rural villages of Jington, Pingxi, and Shifen. (The festival’s largest event takes place in Shifen.) During the festival, thousands of people gather to scribble their wishes on colorful paper lanterns before releasing them into the sky in the hopes that their prayers will be answered. The release of the lanterns, which also commemorates the official end of Chinese New Year, is considered a symbol of embracing an optimistic future.

Lantern Floating Hawaii

Oahu, Hawaii

Each Memorial Day on Oahu’s south shore, Lantern Floating Hawaii brings thousands of residents and visitors together on the beach to honor and remember their deceased loved ones. The island’s first festival, hosted by Shinnyo-en, an international Buddhist community, took place in 1999 at Keehi Lagoon. But since 2002, the festival has been held at Ala Moana Beach, a sandy stretch between Waikiki and downtown Honolulu. The ceremony begins with a series of traditional performances by local musical groups; a prayer led by the head of the Shinnyo-en community, Her Holiness Shinso Ito, follows. Then, participants send floating lanterns—meant to inspire remembrance, hope, and good fortune—into the Pacific Ocean as the sun sets. (The Buddhist community retrieves the lanterns from the Pacific afterwards, cleans and repairs them, and stores them for use in future festivals.)

In Buddhist culture, releasing a floating lantern into the sky represents optimism and new beginnings.

Yi Peng Festival

Chiang Mai, Thailand

When: Chiang Mai’s Yi Peng Festival is set to begin on November 19, 2021.

The idea behind this traditional festival stems from the belief that by sending the Buddha an offering into the sky, a person’s spirit can be cleansed and their misfortune can be healed. The Yi Peng Festival is celebrated across northern Thailand, but the biggest ceremony takes place in Chiang Mai each year.

During the event, which occurs on the “full moon day” during the second month of the Lanna lunar calendar (the 12th month of the Thai lunar calendar), thousands of rice paper lanterns called khom loi are released into the sky. The religiously significant lantern ceremony used to be for monks’ participation only, but today tourists can attend by purchasing highly coveted entry tickets, most of which are sold through authorized tourism agencies and typically cost up to $300.

Loi Krathong

Thailand

When: Upcoming Loi Krathong celebrations are scheduled to begin 0n November 19, 2o21.

The Yi Peng Festival coincides with Loi Krathong, a traditional festival celebrated widely across Thailand. Both annual events are considered “festivals of light,” but Loi Krathong celebrations involve releasing a krathong (a basket traditionally made out of a banana stalk and stocked with candles and incense) down a body of water as opposed to sending lanterns floating into the sky. Loi Krathong lasts for one night on the full moon of the 12th month of the traditional Thai calendar. The most popular celebrations take place in Bangkok and Sukhothai, but travelers in Chiang Mai for the Yi Peng Festival will also be able to observe Loi Krathong events in northern Thailand’s largest city.

Works Cited

1. Buder, Sarah. "6 Lantern Festivals That’ll Brighten Your Life." AFAR, 20 Jan. 2021, www.google.co.in/amp/s/www.afar.com/magazine/6-lantern-festivals-thatll-brighten-your-life/.

2. Ishiguro, Kazuo. An Artist of the Floating World. Faber & Faber, 2009.

3. Wofford, Karyn. "Top 10 Lantern Festivals Around the World - TripsToDiscover." Trips To Discover, 3 2019, www.tripstodiscover.com/lantern-festivals-around-the-world/.