VIRGINIA BEACH — Hundreds of lanterns were released into the lake Friday at Mount Trashmore Park just after sunset.
For the Water Lantern Festival, people decorate their lanterns with hopes, dreams, memories, dedications, messages of healing and more. The rice paper and wooden lanterns are then set adrift into the water once the sky darkens.
Some people also took the chance to get on stage and tell the story of their lantern — one resulted in a successful marriage proposal.
Following the event, experts conduct an in-depth process to clean up every lantern and re-use any of the LED candles when possible, according to the official event website.
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