Trump Rink | Central Park
Sunday, September 22

 

Experience the joy.
Experience the peace.
A beautiful event for the entire family.
Thank you to all of the participants, volunteers and performers who joined us for the first Shinnyo Lantern Floating for Peace!
It was a beautiful and inspiring experience.

 

WATCH THE INSTANT REPLAY

 

CEREMONY

6:50pm Welcome

7:00pm Ceremony Opening

• Performances by Shinnyo Taiko, Natya Dance Theatre, and Brahim Frigane, Rufus Capadoccia, Graham Haynes
• Shinnyo-en Procession
• Opening Remarks by Her Holiness Shinso Ito, Head Priest of Shinnyo-en
• Shinnyo Buddhist Chanting and Ritual

7:30pm International Women Peacemakers Dedicate Lanterns for Peace

• Ms. Zainab Hawa Bangura, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, United Nations
• Ms. Lakshmi Puri, Deputy Executive Director, UN Women
• Ms. Anne-Marie Goetz, Chief Advisor on Peace and Security, UN Women
• Reverend Chloe Breyer, Executive Director, The Interfaith Center of New York

7:40pm Lantern Floating

• Religious Leaders Float Lanterns for Peace
• Collective Floating of Lanterns
• Performance by Junior Fountain & God's Generation Gospel Ensemble

7:55pm Finale

 

What is Lantern Floating?

Lantern Floating is a symbolic tradition that represents the interconnection of the past, the present and the future. It carries with it a message of hope toward a harmonious and peaceful world.
For the past 15 years, Shinnyo-en, an international Buddhist community, has hosted Lantern Floating Hawaii, one of the largest and most moving Memorial Day observances in the country. This September Shinnyo-en is bringing this beautiful Lantern Floating experience to New York City on the eve of the United Nations General Assembly.

The Shinnyo Lantern Floating for Peace

At this pivotal time, New Yorkers and people from around the world are invited to set hundreds of lanterns afloat to honor individual and global peacemakers and to dedicate their lanterns with wishes for peace.
At dusk, Her Holiness Shinso Ito, the head priest of Shinnyo-en and one of the highest-ranking female Buddhist leaders in the world, will preside over the closing ceremony and a collective floating of lanterns.

*Lanterns provided first come, first served.

Shinnyo-en is pleased to be filming this event for documentary and archival purposes and streaming portions of it on the Times Square SuperSign and on the internet for people everywhere to share in the Shinnyo Lantern Floating for Peace experience. Your images, voices and creations (e.g., lanterns) may appear in photographs and audiovisual recordings, which we may broadcast live or later distribute on websites, in a book, documentary film or use in any other manner and media. By attending the event, you grant us the right to include your image, voice and creations in and in connection with these recordings.