All Lit Up at the Japanese Lantern Festival

It was a glorious weekend in the Twin Cities and to mark its end, we headed to Como Park in St. Paul for the Japanese Lantern Festival.

The festival takes place each August on a Sunday night. The event gets underway at about 3 pm just outside the front gates of the Como Conservatory.

Crowd fences are erected around the lush lawns, gardens and ponds that spill forth from the conservatory, and food and vendor booths set up inside.

A stage is also brought in. Dancers and musicians entertain the crowds until the sun sets and the lantern lighting begins.

This was our first time attending the lantern festival so we didn't really know what to expect and we were surprised by the number of people there. We stood in line to reach the front gate, and again to order food.

Perhaps it was the incredibly beautiful weather combined with the festival's promise of a lit up night that brought so many people out.

Because it was our first time at the event, we made sure to pick up a brochure explaining the festivities on our way in.

Turns out, the Japanese Lantern Festival is similar to Mexico's Day of the Dead. Reading the literature, that's what both Quang and I said.

According to our brochure, there is a three-day period each August in which the Japanese believe that the souls of the dead return to Earth to mingle with their families.

This three-day period is called "Obon" and it is an important holiday for the Japanese.

Families visit gravesites and decorate them with drinks and food. They light lanterns outside their homes so that the souls will know they are being awaited.

And then on the last night of Obon, communities light lanterns again to help guide the souls back to the other world. This is what we witnessed last night.