ajlala
Rising Star
Kobe Luminarie (神戸ルミナリエ) is a light festival held in Kobe, Japan, every December since 1995 to commemorate the Great Hanshin earthquake of that year, which killed 6000 people.
Over 200,000 individually hand painted lights are lit each year with electricity generated from biomass in order to stay environmentally friendly.
Lights are kept up for about two weeks and turned on for a few hours each evening. Major streets in the vicinity are closed to auto traffic during these hours to allow pedestrians to fill the streets and enjoy the lights. It is viewed by about three to five million people each year.
When the Great Hanshin earthquake struck Kobe on January 17, 1995, it left more than 6,000 dead and caused $100 billon in damages. Since many had to live in darkness due to supply cuts in electricity, gas, and water, the idea of putting up lights acted as a symbol of hope, recovery, and renovation. Though it was only supposed to take place once, strong popularity and demand from citizens encouraged the continuation of luminarie to become an annual event.
Silent prayers to souls of the 6000 victims of the earthquake takes place in the opening ceremony, and a memorial naming those who were killed is posted during the night
[youtube]
Over 200,000 individually hand painted lights are lit each year with electricity generated from biomass in order to stay environmentally friendly.
Lights are kept up for about two weeks and turned on for a few hours each evening. Major streets in the vicinity are closed to auto traffic during these hours to allow pedestrians to fill the streets and enjoy the lights. It is viewed by about three to five million people each year.
When the Great Hanshin earthquake struck Kobe on January 17, 1995, it left more than 6,000 dead and caused $100 billon in damages. Since many had to live in darkness due to supply cuts in electricity, gas, and water, the idea of putting up lights acted as a symbol of hope, recovery, and renovation. Though it was only supposed to take place once, strong popularity and demand from citizens encouraged the continuation of luminarie to become an annual event.
Silent prayers to souls of the 6000 victims of the earthquake takes place in the opening ceremony, and a memorial naming those who were killed is posted during the night
[youtube]
