WOMAD, or World of Music, Arts and Dance, is a series of festivals put on around the world to celebrate all things artistic. The festival this year includes the festival going right now in Malmesbury at Charlton Park. With camping available for those who want the full experience and performances that start as early as 9:30 in the morning and going all the way past 2 in the morning, there is truly something for everyone. As the lights dim during tonight and tomorrow’s festival days and everyone settles in to enjoy the evening’s schedule, sky lanterns would be both a breathtaking and thoroughly international way to celebrate this amazing festival.

What to Expect at the WOMAD Festival

The WOMAD festival is full of musical acts from all around the globe as well as dancers representing many different cultures. On top of this are many different workshops that help people learn the dances or art of the cultures represented at the festival. There are even films from around the globe being shown, giving people an opportunity to view films they otherwise never would. The evenings are focused on music with a number of outdoor venues being the focal point of the festivals evenings and this is where a show of floating lanterns would be an excellent addition.

Sky Lanterns and Culture

Sky lanterns are part of ancient Chinese culture and are still used in the same capacity in China today. Their original use was twofold: Chinese lanterns were used as war signals to direct troop movements easily and they were used in times of peace as a way to carry prayers to the heavens. In more modern times, better communication tools have been developed for war but few have been developed for prayers and in this guise they are still used. For a festival such as WOMAD, the traditions of using floating lanterns for prayer are typically ignored and instead they are launched simply because they look nice in the evening sky. However, some at this festival will recognize the historical roots of sky lanterns and appreciate them even more.

Coloured Lantern Packages – The Perfect Choice

For festival use, the Coloured Lantern Packages are a perfect choice. They include a mixed assortment of coloured lanterns from six to forty-eight and disposable LED Tea Lights and sharpie markers can be added to the order for a small fee. The traditional Chinese Hanging Lanterns included will begin to float in under a minute from being lit and will stay aloft for twenty minutes, typically getting as high as 1200 feet and floating miles away before softly touching down. With these lanterns in the style of Chinese lanterns, people at the festival will be impressed and the scene set by them will enhance the performances of the musicians on stage. With the lantern pack, you are getting a discount off the normal price for the lanterns as well. Enjoy the WOMAD festival and be safe with your sky lanterns!

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 24th, 2010 at 7:37 AM and is filed under General News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.