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THE MAGIC OF LANTERNS
At the Chinese Garden of the Montréal Botanical Garden
2009 Edition
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« Traditional Chinese Astronomy » From September 11 to November 1, 2009 the Montréal Botanical Garden will be presenting The Magic of Lanterns 2009,
a tremendous celebration of light in the Montréal Botanical Garden's Chinese Garden. The Botanical Garden will remain open until 9 p.m. daily from September 11 to November 1, 2009 for the occasion.
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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 (206 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.
The Sounds of Music - until November 1, 2009
In the Tower of Condensing Clouds in the Chinese Garden, you can admire and listen to the sounds of some splendid Chinese instruments, including a zheng, pipa, yangqin, erhu and suona.
Come enjoy a traditional Chinese tune in this entrancingly sumptuous setting.
Every Thursday, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
The Planetarium invites you to join its staff and amateur astronomers for some stargazing.
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THE MAGIC OF LANTERNS Chinese Garden
To Accès Montréal card-holders: |
This event was made possible by the valuable support of our partner Transfotec International division de EMD technologies.
