Totnes Lantern Festival

“Water, River, Ocean and Life” were the themes of the festival, manifesting in various ways throughout the evening. The event started at a gathering point along the Dart River on a little island accessible by steps and a path leading down to it. As we neared the river we spotted more and more lantern-carriers drifting toward the rendezvous point.


Carefully hand made lanterns dominated the crowd with a smattering of store bought ones some on a handle most high above the crowd on a stick. Some were illuminated by Christmas lights, but many cast the glow of a real wax candle, which flickered as it’s lantern barer walked. Lantern design vaguely followed the water theme. Many were fish and other water creatures floating above the crowd on bamboo poles: goldfish, puffer fish, seahorse, octopus, squid, giant whale, flipping dolphin, flying fish and many colorful generic fish of different shapes, sixes and patterns.

The Water Mother arrived on a beautifully painted gondola, with four dedicated rowers propelling here up river to the docking point. She was made of bamboo and blue tissue paper illuminated from the interior. Her flowing hair resembled seaweed and marsh plants, draping over her shoulders. From the boat she became the leader of the festival surrounded by her four water nymphs, young girls dressed all in blue flowing outfits and blue faces. They kept her alive for the festival, moving her hands and arms. The Water Mother herself was bourn aloft by an ingenious apparatus that fit onto a board protruding from a backpack. The backpack would then easily be taken off for the interludes of song, dance and storytelling that happened along the way. A similar apparatus was used for the PA system, used for stories, singing and announcements along the way. Strapped and taped into an aluminum frame backpack, the little amp was easily transported from place to place.

When the drumbeat sounded, the procession began to move slowly up the steps and out onto the street. The street heading up to the castle was closed off to cars and traffic was being redirect by the police. Lantern bearers flooded the street, lights glowing, bobbing and swinging above them. The Water Mother and the samba drums stopped the crowd at the first crossroads for a small speech from a costumed man leaning out of a window with a beautiful goldfish lantern. At this first stop I realized that half of the samba group was comprised of mentally challenged adults, dressed in bright yellow with shaperones dressed in turquoise interspersed throughout the group. They all carried a drum and had a special part carefully rehearsed. They were ecstatic with the high energy and their part in the creation of it. One young man jumped a foot off the ground every time he beat his drum.

At the second stop a giant green seahorse joined the procession and a lovely women’s chorus sang a combination of tradition and original water and river songs. At the second stop, a giant octopus danced to “An Octopus’s Garden” and the Giant Whale bobbed and the dolphin flipped on his ingenious apparatus high above his carrier’s head to “Under the Sea.” The Water Mother with her nymphs watched over all. The crowd was very enthusiastic and appreciative of the performances and creativity. Kids’ excitement ran high through out the evening, with the thrill of festival energy, rich colors, crowds and the intrigue of games in darkness. Parents lost their kids multiple times. The moment they were found they would be lost again in the current of excitement.

While observing these systems and ways of mobile theater and crowd management, I began to realize that in Totnes people take their festivals very seriously. In a place with a long tradition of such events, a public festivity is no small thing. It must be done right and is worth a great deal of time and energy. As the event unfolded all the performers and puppeteers knew exactly where to be and when and how to perform. With so many different acts, and components, there was great potential for chaos at such an event. For it to unfold so smoothly and naturally, hundreds of hours must have gone into the planning and orchestration, the design and creation of the many lanterns and huge lantern-puppets that joined the procession along the way.

When the procession concluded at the Totnes Castle we numbered about a thousand people. At the castle awaiting the arrival of the procession was a giant Tree with individual lanterns hanging from its branches. At the conslusion of a life-giving ceremony between the River Mother and the giant tree and a poem and song, an incredible show of fireworks erupted, blasting out of Totnes Castle. Dramatic, beautiful, loud the show elicited stunned intakes of breath, oohs aahs and shouts from the crowd as more and more color exploded in the air. All around the parameter of the inner wall of the castle fountain-like fireworks hung from a rope, spraying a volley of golden sparks, color and smoke as rockets of varying patterns, colors and sounds shot from the center of the castle. Between the people standing around me, it was agreed that it was among the best show of fireworks they had seen. Happy, tired lantern bearers streamed out of the castle gates dispersing into the night for home.