June 21st marks the the Winter Solstice. The tilt of the earth leans us as far from the sun as we go, and the days are as short as they get.
The passing of the Solsitice means it must be Lismore Lantern Parade time. Last night was the 18th year it has been celebrated.
This was the first parade that I can remember when it wasn’t both raining and freezing. The warmer night meant that about 15.000 people lined the streets of Lismore to cheer the 1000 ‘paraders’, and then gathered by the river for the spectacular ‘Fiery Finale’.
The theme this year was ‘The Great Garden’, being a rough translation of the gaelic ‘Lios Mohr’, or Lismore, and was a celebration of the natural world and the town’s gaelic roots.
The parade is very Lismore. The participants in the parade represent the diverse nature of this region, with 100 community participants representing ‘The Australian Breast Feeding Association’, ‘The Organic Farmers Market’, ‘The Tropical Fruits’, ‘The 1st Lismore Scouts’, ‘The Channon Public School’ , ‘Australian Seabird Rescue’, and the ‘Don’t Frack with us’ group opposed to coal mining, among many others.
Congratulations to all involved. It was a magnificent celebration of community.
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