Sky lanterns are simple, festive, and beautiful, but can also be dangerous. Authorities in various countries banned their use after several fires were blamed on the floating lights.
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A simple wooden or metal frame, a paper shell, and a source of flame are all you need to create a sky lantern. They first took to the sky as military signals above the battlefields of ancient China, and are sometimes still called Kongming lanterns after a legendary 3rd century Chinese general who first put them to use. Today, people all around the world view them as good luck symbols.
Still, not everyone is a fan of the floating lights. Authorities in various countries believe them to be a fire hazard, a source of pollution, and possible disruption to air traffic.
Korean lantern festival lights up Seoul
More than 2 million people from around the world have visited Korea's largest lantern festival. The 17-day event, which also celebrates the coming of winter, concluded on November 18. Shay Meinecke reports from Seoul.
Image: DW/Shay Meinecke
Seoul's 10th annual lantern festival shines on
Under the theme of "Seoul Dream, Flowing Light," the South Korean capital's 10th annual lantern event celebrated the country's promising future and reminisced on its colorful traditions with striking displays that seemingly floated atop the capital's Cheonggyecheon stream.
Image: DW/Shay Meinecke
Take a walk, enjoy the view
The full event covered more than 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles), and that's just one way. Guests were entertained with hundreds of thousands of lights illuminating Seoul's night sky and with Korean Kpop music playing softly throughout. There were also plenty of places to sit along the stream's embankment for anyone wanting to enjoy the view.
Image: DW/Shay Meinecke
Guests welcomed by cute characters
Among the first displays are characters from Korea's National Sports Festival, which takes place each year in October. Considered to be the country's most important national competition, the event attracts around 20,000 Korean athletes in about 40 different sporting events. The event celebrates its 100th year in 2019.
Image: DW/Shay Meinecke
North Seoul Tower
Originally located on Namsan Mountain in the city center, the observational North Seoul Tower stands at around 230 meters tall. Thankfully for the event, the display was shrunk so guests could enjoy the communication tower in all its glory.
Image: DW/Shay Meinecke
Tall paper robots dominate the night
A favorite among Korean children was Robot Taekwon V, or Voltar the Invincible. The tallest lantern on display took several hours to complete, but surprisingly, it was made almost entirely from traditional Korean handmade paper called hanji, as was all of the lanterns on display.
Image: DW/Shay Meinecke
Wishing upon a lantern
Guests could participate in a variety of programs, including crafting traditional floor lanterns and even making floating wish lanterns (also made from hanji). Participants launched the lanterns for good health, fame and even riches. But for many Korean families with children, good grades and a bright future were at the top of the list.
Image: DW/Shay Meinecke
Tasty treats made by Korean street vendors
A variety of good food is an important part of any successful event. Thankfully for participants at the Lantern Festival, Korean street vendors provided a plethora of traditional snacks. Some must-try items included "tteokbokki" (spicy rice cakes), "twigim" (Korean-style tempura), and"odeng" (fish-cake skewers). For anyone wanting a sweet bite, colorful cotton candy was also on sale.
Image: DW/Shay Meinecke
Lantern displays from around the world
Nearly 1 million tourists from around the world came to this year's lantern festival. The growing attention has generated interest from other countries to share their cultural highlights, which is why China displayed its monumental Tiananmen Square building.
Image: DW/Shay Meinecke
Taiwan's big bird
Taiwan showed an elegant big bird at the event, and the Philippines featured a colorful Filipino tourism building.
Image: DW/Shay Meinecke
The importance of sustainable restoration
The Cheonggyecheon stream has became a cultural focal point for Seoul. It has attracted millions of tourists and Koreans to the capital and has become a symbol for sustainability in the country. If not for its restoration in 2005, the Korean Lantern Festival and other events would not have been possible.
Image: DW/Shay Meinecke
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One lantern, 100,000 tons of burning plastic
A sky lantern works like a hot air balloon. The candle flame bellow the shell warms up the air inside it, causing the lantern to float up and stay airborne until the candle is extinguished. Stiff edges near the bottom of the shell are meant to keep the flame away from the potentially flammable material. However, the lantern can malfunction or be swept by wind, bringing it into contact with dry vegetation or flammable materials on the ground.
In 2013, a man in US state of Washington started a 500-acre (202-hectar) wildfire after his sky lantern floated into a hillside. In the same year, 13 UK firefighters were injured in a huge fire which saw 100,000 tons of plastic recycling material burst into flames in Birmingham. At the time, authorities said the blaze was caused by a lantern landing in the depot. In 2018, UK farmers, animal rights activists, and lawmakers decried the use sky lanterns after one of them landed on a horse and set its tail on fire. Most recently, German investigators said that floating lanterns caused a New Year's Eve fire which killed monkeys and apes in the Krefeld Zoo.
Off-limit skies
The German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where Krefeld is located, banned the use of sky lanterns in 2009. Nearly all other German states have also imposed similar restrictions. According to Wildlifetoday online portal, 30 US states have also made sky lanterns illegal. Australia, Spain, Brazil and several other countries have enacted nationwide bans.
In addition to fire risks, the lanterns' wire frames also pose a risk to the environment and animals. Animal rights activists claim birds often get entangled by metal components, while larger animals try to eat the remains. Bits of metal can end up in cattle feed, killing the animals, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).
Air traffic experts also warn of risk to aircraft – according to Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), the flight path of sky lanterns are hard to predict, and the items could become "a risk to aviation" if sucked into a plane engine.
Irish officials say that the risk of collision is "small" but urge the public not to release sky lanterns within 10 nautical miles (18 kilometers, 11.5 miles) of an airport. The items should also not be tied together or launched in groups of more than 20.
