The lantern parade.
The end of the annual Swiss Italian Festa in Daylesford/Hepburn Springs brings with it one of my favourite nights of the year, The Lantern Parade.So yesterday Bren went and found 'the box of stuff you need to make a lantern'.
We make the same type of lantern every year so by now there's a bit of ritual to it.
First we drew our designs on a tin can.
Then we placed a piece of wood in the can and banged a sharpened nail along the design, puncturing holes as we went.
Here they are lining up ready to go.
We drove down to Hepburn and mingled amongst around 300 members of the community. At dusk we all lit our lanterns and walked down the candle lit path to the Mineral Springs Reserve where we were treated to the most amazing fireworks display I've seen in years.
After the fireworks we walked back up the hill in the dark really needing our lanterns for light.
I love the lantern parade because it is an ALL ages event, because of its strong sense of community, because there is nothing for sale, because it encourages home made and because it has become part of my family's history.
Our lanterns will now hang out on the deck for decoration on those lovely warm summer evenings.