Ottawa glows for night of magic, festivities

Thousands Of Lanterns Made By Locals Cover Park And Riverbank

Julie Smyth, National Post
Published: Tuesday, August 14, 2007

OTTAWA - Along the bank of the Rideau River in Ottawa's Stanley Park, small paper bags and Chinese food boxes filled with sand and tea lights illuminated the pathway. Tissue-paper fish and boat lanterns dangled from trees and homemade boat lanterns floated on the river, lighting the sky as the sun went down.

Performers banged drums, acted out puppet shows in the dark -- lit only by candles and flashlights -- and carried out acrobatic feats while swinging from branches.

The park's baseball diamond was taken over by a maze of lanterns, and the tennis courts were alive with music. Fire spinners, Shakespearean actors, stilt walkers and dancers entertained the crowds.

Children and middle-aged women dressed as fairies with glittery wings and glowing gowns as they made their way through the crowd. Even senior citizens walked around in neon green, orange and yellow plastic necklaces and arm bands.

This was Ottawa's Lumiere Festival, a celebration of the magic and mystical beauty of light. It was held on Saturday night in the city's New Edinburgh neighbourhood, which is home to 24 Sussex Drive and Rideau Hall, as well as many young families.

I overheard one woman joke to another festival-goer: "It was fairy nice to meet you." Corny, yes, but in the spirit of this event.

In the run-up to the festival, for the month of August, local children and artists constructed lanterns --everything from elaborate tissue-paper and bamboo structures to jam jars decorated and filled with candles -- in workshops put on by organizers at the neighbourhood's Crichton Cultural Community Centre

By Saturday night, thousands of lanterns covered the park and river's edge. Throughout the evening, locals carried their own creations as they walked the grounds, lighting up the park's tennis courts, soccer field, play structure and pathways with colourful and imaginative lanterns.

One of the most impressive displays was the mystical maze that filled the baseball diamond. It was called The Labyrinth -- a tradition at this festival -- and was made up of 600 candle lanterns in small paper lunch bags arranged in an ancient labyrinth pattern known as the Seven Circuit Labyrinth. This circular pattern is more than 4,000 years old and dates back to Crete. Children and adults wandered the maze in what was a spiritual and meditative experience.

The Lumiere Festival explores religious, social and cultural rituals and celebrations involving candlelight and lanterns around the world.

At this year's event, professional fire spinners, the Fire Weavers, weaved illuminated patterns in a performance of dance and fire artistry, while Stacy Clark Baisley of High Strung carried out an aerial dance from a tree. Kanika Thakar performed Indian classical dance moves and children performed in costume, surrounded by lanterns.

The festival has grown since its inception in 2004, when 1,500 people attended. This year, the crowd was about 10,000.

It all started when Joanne Hughes, the festival producer, her husband and daughter were living in Victoria, B.C., and went to a festival around a Vancouver lake one weekend.

They were amazed to see all of the people attending were carrying homemade lanterns. "It was one of the most magical experiences," Ms. Hughes said. "That was impressive -- to see the diversity and creativity. It was simple and beautiful."

They brought the idea to Ottawa and have expanded the small event from a local community initiative into a festival that is growing every year. The event has attracted a number of corporate and government sponsors as well as professional performers from Montreal to Calgary.

It is similar to other lantern festivals around the world but is unique to this city. Ms. Hughes thinks the success has to do with a simple formula: "magical lanterns, talented and colourful performers and a little bit of pixie dust!"