What does the word "we" mean to you? To some, it is when the hearts of many beat in unison and many people experience the same event together. To others, "we" can mean letting yourself go and losing yourself in something bigger. During the annual Memorial Day Lantern Floating Festival held on Oahu's south shore by Lantern Floating Hawaii, an average of 50,000 people come together to find a connection with those in the past, present, and future.

Memorial Day is a holiday during which Americans celebrate and honor those who have fallen in sake of his or her country. In Hawaii, the tradition has been modified slightly in an effort to encompass Hawaii's uniquely diverse population. The result is the Lantern Floating Festival. During this special event, people from a multitude of backgrounds and cultures come together to decorate paper lanterns with messages and to send them off into the gentle waves of the ocean.

Through the Luke Center, I volunteered to help with preparations for the 2016 Lantern Floating Festival. I arrived at the Shinnyo-en building in Downtown, Honolulu not knowing what I was getting myself into, but my worries were quickly washed away upon meeting all of the kind, hardworking volunteers and workers as well as the Punahou Key Club.

I was assigned the simple task of sticking slips of paper with the names and messages of the deceased onto the sides of pre-made lanterns. All the while, I conversed with other volunteers, sharing laughs and passing stories. After a short snack break, I was then asked to help write names and messages onto the slips of paper. Some were just names, while others were heartfelt messages, inside jokes, or even poems that people wished to share with their loved ones. Meanwhile, at the table next to me, volunteers were busy folding colorful paper cranes -- symbols of peace and prayers.


Although I have never attended the Lantern Floating Festival myself, I'm glad I was able to help out even a little by volunteering with the preparations. Everyone I met that day was very nice and talkative, and the work wasn't too taxing or difficult. I was able to feel connected in some way to the larger community. Whether you have lost someone special in your life, or just want to help out next year, the Lantern Floating Festival will accept you with open arms and smiles.