Boston Flora

Tag: Educational Trust

  • Thursday, July 12, 6:00 pm -9:00 pm (rain date Thursday, July 19) – 14th Annual Lantern Festival

    Join The Friends of Forest Hills Educational Trust on Thursday, July 12 from 6 – 9 pm (rain date Thursday, July 19) for a moving memorial ceremony inspired by Buddhist rituals. Inscribe a lantern with a personal message to friends or family and float it across Lake Hibiscus at sunset. Bring a family picnic.  Enjoy Grand Master Tsuji’s Samurai Taiko drummers, gospel music by Ron Murphy, Irish music by guitar/fiddle duo The Whiskey Boys, and traditional Japanese dance by students of Showa Institute. Photo below by JM Lobert at www.flickeflu.com.

    In this breathtaking ceremony of remembrance, visitors to this lush, Victorian landscape make paper lanterns and set them afloat on the peaceful waters of a small lake. This ritual is based on the traditional Japanese Bon Festival, a time when a door opens to the world of the ancestors, allowing us to send messages to the other side. People enjoy picnics on the grass and a multi-cultural program of music and dance. They decorate their lanterns with calligraphy and notes to those who have died. At sunset, a candle is lit in each lantern, and the glimmering lanterns are set afloat. Drifting and flickering with the wind, the lanterns symbolize the soul’s journey when life ends.  Admission is free, with a $10 donation per lantern. Parking is $10, and people are encouraged to take the T.  No lighting after dark, so bring a flashlight to assist your departure.  For more information, log on to www.foresthillstrust.org.

     

  • Monday, November 2, 4:00 – 6:00 pm – Day of the Dead at Forest Hills Cemetery

    November 2 is the date of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), the traditional Mexican ceremonies honoring family and friends who have died. Over the past few years, Forest Hills Cemetery has served as a location for such a ceremony, and this year is no exception. The ceremony begins at 4:00pm, as the sun is setting.  Hundreds of people, including families with children, attend and participate with their own private remembrances.

    Join The Forest Hills Educational Trust for a traditional Mexican celebration of remembrance co-sponsored by Latin American folkloric performance group La Pinata. Based on the ancient traditions of Mexico’s indigenous peoples who believed that the souls of the dead return each year to visit their families, the Day of the Dead celebrates the continuous cycle of life and death, embracing cultures from all throughout the Americas. Enjoy a program of music and dance as individuals bring offerings of flowers, copies of photos, mementos, and traditional skull-shaped sugar candies to leave on a decorated candle-lit altar for those departed loved ones. Dress warmly. Bring a flashlight. Bilingual: English/Spanish. Admission: Free. Co-sponsored by La Piñata and Spontaneous Celebrations. Visit them at http://www.spontaneouscelebrations.org.

    For more information, log on to www.foresthillstrust.org.

    Day of the Dead

  • Saturday, October 17, 2:00 pm – Contemporary Art Walking Tour

    Tour the Contemporary Sculpture Path of Forest Hills Cemetery, 95 Forest Hills Avenue, Jamaica Plain, with the Forest Hills Educational Trust’s Executive Director Cecily Miller, looking at Victorian sculpture and architecture along the way.  Discover the ways contemporary artists were inspired by this unique landscape to explore themes of nature, history, family, memory and the mysterious world of the spirits.  Forest Hills is a historic cemetery located in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed in 1848 as a 250-acre park and arboretum as well as a burial ground, it helped inspire Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace a generation later. Visitors discover a grand Victorian landscape filled with treasures of 19th century art and architecture, a green oasis shaded by magnificent canopy trees, and a sanctuary for birds and urban wildlife.

    The non-profit Forest Hills Educational Trust presents innovative cultural programs in this extraordinary setting, including: exhibitions of contemporary art, concerts and poetry readings, walking tours, the Buddhist-inspired Lantern Festival and a traditional Mexican Day of the Dead. This walk will begin at 2:00 pm and costs $9.  For directions and more information, log on to www.foresthillstrust.org.

  • Saturday, October 3, 2:00 pm – 12th Annual Forest Hills Cemetery Dog Walk

    Dee Morris tells tales of Victorian animals – beloved pets and faithful workers – and tours animal sculpture throughout Forest Hills Cemetery, 95 Forest Hills Avenue, Jamaica Plain, on Saturday, October 3 beginning at 2:00 pm.  The walk is for sociable canines and their owners, but people without dogs (poor souls) are also welcome.  Dogs receive delicious treats from the Walk sponsor, Polkadog Bakery, and a certificate.  $10 for Forest Hills Educational Trust members, $12 for non-members.  For directions and more information, log on to www.foresthillstrust.org.

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  • Thursday, July 16, 6-9 pm (rain date Thursday, July 23) – 11th Annual Lantern Festival

    Join The Friends of Forest Hills Educational Trust on Thursday, July 16 from 6 – 9 pm (rain date Thursday, July 23) for a moving memorial ceremony inspired by Buddhist rituals. Inscribe a lantern with a personal message to friends or family and float it across Lake Hibiscus at sunset.

    In this breathtaking ceremony of remembrance, visitors to this lush, Victorian landscape make paper lanterns and set them afloat on the peaceful waters of a small lake. This ritual is based on the traditional Japanese Bon Festival, a time when a door opens to the world of the ancestors, allowing us to send messages to the other side. People enjoy picnics on the grass and a multi-cultural program of music and dance. They decorate their lanterns with calligraphy and notes to those who have died. At sunset, a candle is lit in each lantern, and the glimmering lanterns are set afloat. Drifting and flickering with the wind, the lanterns symbolize the soul’s journey when life ends For more information, log on to www.foresthillstrust.org