HOI AN LANTERN FESTIVAL

We had the good fortune of arriving in Hoi An, Vietnam during the full moon, which brings with it the celebration of the town's monthly Lantern Festival. As the sun disappeared, hundreds of colorful silk lanterns lit up the streets, and shopkeepers ignited small bonfires of fake Vietnamese currency in the gutters for good luck. Several string bands struck up their traditional instruments, and elderly men gathered on the sidewalk to play chess by candlelight.

We wandered along the riverbank, where impish girls in silk pajamas implored us to buy paper lanterns. Ultimately we gave in and joined the throngs of tourists, both Vietnamese and foreign, in setting a candle afloat on the river. We watched it get caught up in the stream of soft lights, bobbing gently until it collided with a river weed and went out.