Sunset Moon-rise: Mother Nature's change of guard.

The golden hour

I was on my evening walk in the park near my house, engrossed in surroundings around me, watching the sun done for the day and disappearing behind the Waianae mountain range.  

The lengthening shadows at sunset 

The leaves of this magnificent tree close at Sunset  

The lightened path at sunset 

The golden Honolulu skyline 

People at Sunset 

Catching up 

The Golden shower glowing in the last ray of sun

The fall 

The Golden glow of Honolulu skyline 

The Golden hour

The golden hour 

The Golden hour 

Fifty shades of everything

I was also busy trying to complete my share of walking and at the same time trying to capture the divine moments of sunset through my iPhone.

What happened next was nothing short of spectacular. As I was walking back to the car, the sun has almost touched the horizon leaving the sky in 50 shades of grey, yellow and orange.

But, on the other side of the park I spotted a gorgeous sight: the moon rising! The sun was still above the horizon and moon was also quite high. I could visualize the sun and the moon at the same time.

It is as if Mother Nature is displaying nightly change of guards and I was viewing “Sunset Moonrise.”

When we can see the sunset in the west, we are on a part of the Earth that was illuminated and is now rotating such that sunlight will not shine upon us anymore. When we see a moonrise in the east, it is because the Earth is rotating towards the moon enough that it has risen above the horizon.

So, to see the Sun and the moon at the same time, they both need to be on opposites sides of the Earth. And this happens on the day of Full Moon.

In two days, I have witnessed two impressive astronomical events. 

The Moon rise 

The Moon rise 

The Moon rise 

The Moon rise 

Catching fish at  Moon rise 

The peeping Moon

In preparation of the Lantern Floating Ceremony on Memorial Day.

The lanterns

Memorial Day in America is celebrated to remember and honor the fallen heroes, who have sacrificed their lives in line of duty. Hawai’I has largest ethnically diverse population and have adopted the tradition of Memorial Day into its culture, as a day to honor and remember the loved ones.  It’s a norm in Hawaii to remember the fallen heroes, others family members and friends by floating lanterns into ocean.

Link to Lantern Floating Ceremony in Honolulu. 

Many Rivers, One Ocean

Honolulu is among the top 10 destinations for this upcoming Memorial Day weekend.

The first lantern floating in Hawaii was held at Ke'ehi Lagoon on the south shore of O'ahu in 1999, but was moved to Ala Moana Beach in 2002, where it is observed every year since. The first ceremony was officiated and inaugurated by Her Holiness Shinso Ito, Head Priest of Shinnyo-en.

Over 6000 lanterns are given out starting at 10 AM till 4 PM so that people have ample time to write the messages and prepare the lanterns. The lines start forming at 4AM as soon as the park opens.

People waiting in lines to get the lanterns.

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A mile long line for the lanterns.

The preparation of this grand ceremony begins a month before the actual day at the Ala Moana Beach Park.

Dozens of volunteers from schools and community groups spent this Saturday assembling many of the more than 6,500 lanterns that will be set afloat at Ala Moana Beach Park.

There is a separate line for special needs people

People camping at the park

The large screen 

People enjoying at the beach 

The large stage 

The large screen 

Chairs for the special guests.

Area cordoned off for the public 

Preparation in progress

View from the magic island 

A large crane at site 

Children enjoy the day on the beach 

Restrooms 

People camping 

A large stage to conduct the ceremony is erected in the park along with many large screens to carry out live streaming of the ceremony. An area of the park is cordon off for the public so that preparation can go smoothly for the ceremony.

Basic amenities like restrooms, drinking water and first-aid are provided at the park, so that people can spend the whole day at the park. People start camping at the park from 4AM to secure a good spot. It’s a day for cooking, eating, and spending time with family and friends on the beach.

It is estimated that about 50,000 people will be on the beach, joined by thousands around the world via live streaming and telecast.

The ceremony opens with the sounding of the pū, or Hawaiian conch shell, which sanctifies the area and marks the commencement of the ceremony, followed by Japanese taiko. Prayers and messages of remembrance are hand-written on paper and fixed onto floating lanterns. The lanterns are released into the water as a symbolic gesture. They are collected afterwards from the sea by volunteers, refurbished and stored for next year.

Canoes,for collecting the lanterns back 

Canoes,for collecting the lanterns back 

Link to Lantern Floating Ceremony in Honolulu.