08/09 - Time: 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Nagasaki Day
On the anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki, Smith College will host an exhibit, presentation and commemoration.
Photographs from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum will be on exhibit beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Smith College Student Center. Viewers should plan time to view the thirty photographs and information posters and to reflect on the consequences of nuclear weapons and nuclear war. Shakuhachi flute will be played during the exhibit.
A presentation on nuclear weapons will begin at 8:00.
Together exhibit goers will walk down to Paradise Pond to join others from the community who wish to attend for a Floating Candle ceremony. By lighting candles we will remember all the people who have died because of the dropping of the bomb on Nagasaki. At dusk the floating candles will be pulled across paradise pond, eventually disappearing. This is similar to a Japanese ceremony, “O-bon,” held all over Japan. During O-bon ancestors are invited to return and the spirits of ancestors are offered food and prayers. At the end of O-bon candles are floated down the river, representing permission for the ancestors to return to their home in the spiritual realm. Prior to lighting the candles, Al Miller, a participant in the Article 9 walk (renouncing war) in Japan earlier this year, will share his experiences. There will be music for remembering and reflecting.
Location: Smith College Campus
Directions
Student Center, Elm Street;
Paradise Pond
Contact Information
Doug Renick, American Friends Service Comm.
413.584.8975