The Magic of Lanterns at Montréal's Nature Museums

By Karine Jalbert 

Montréal, Canada - To mark the International Year of Astronomy, a number of events at Montréal's Nature Museums are incorporating astronomical themes. From September 11 to November 1, Montréal's Nature Museums will be presenting The Magic of Lanterns 2009, a tremendous celebration of light in the Montréal Botanical Garden’s Chinese Garden. This year’s theme is traditional Chinese astronomy. The Magic of Lanterns has become a well-entrenched tradition. The 17th edition of this festive, cultural event promises to dazzle and thrill visitors once again! 

A shower of stars
The lanterns created for the 2009 edition are inspired by classic images from Chinese astronomy and instruments from the Beijing Ancient Observatory. Visitors will be able to explore the mythological and scientific dimensions of traditional Chinese astronomy and see how it compares with Western science. Every Thursday evening in the Chinese Garden, they will be invited to admire the sky’s secrets, too, as amateur astronomers will be setting up telescopes for them to gaze through – an initiative organized by the Planetarium.

Early Chinese astronomers made many discoveries and created some 283 asterisms, or star patterns, representing clusters of 1,464 stars. But what most fascinated them was the way the Moon moved among the stars. To follow its movements, they divided the part of the sky that the Moon and the planets pass through into 28 bands of varying widths. Each of these lunar mansions is identified by a prominent asterism. Groups containing seven mansions were associated with four totem animals, each corresponding to a season and one of the cardinal points. The Azure Dragon, the Black Tortoise, the White Tiger and the Vermilion Bird will be appearing in a most distinctive sky chart in The Magic of Lanterns.

More than a thousand years old
The Lantern Festival, as celebrated in China, is a tradition that dates back to the Han dynasty (207 B.C.-220 A.D.), the second and the longest dynasty in Imperial China. This evening celebration is held during the New Year cycle of festivities, as adults and children carrying lanterns stroll through the streets at dusk. Traditional motifs of plants, animals and mythical scenes, once fashioned from paper and silk, are now often made out of nylon and other modern materials. The sight of all these people out strolling with their own sources of light is splendidly festive.

A tradition at the Garden
The lanterns at the Botanical Garden are handcrafted by skilful artists here and in China. They are designed in Montréal and produced in Shanghai, with traditional methods. Then they are brought by ship to Montréal and painstakingly arranged at the Botanical Garden to create an absolutely magical spectacle. Imagine 700 traditional lanterns, along with theme lanterns, illuminating the fall sky – like a cloud of stars lighting up the heavens!

The magic of energy conservation
Our societies’ concerns have changed a great deal over the centuries. From Imperial China to present-day Quebec, the conquest of light over shadows now involves energy conservation, too.

The lighting for The Magic of Lanterns was modernized in 2008, with the new TFT LED Contactless System. The new system means a substantial reduction in energy use (nearly 10 times less) during the event, and is more reliable, even in poor weather.

Montréal's Nature Museums – the Biodôme, Insectarium, Botanical Garden and Planetarium – helping visitors enjoy nature to the fullest.

To view Montréal's Nature Museums' web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to: http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-717-Montréal_Biodôme