Latest / Abide Meditation App / Lanterns in the Night _ A Peaceful Sleepy Story

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Lanterns in the Night _ A Peaceful Sleepy Story · Abide Meditation App

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Welcome to Get Sleepy, the podcast where we listen, we relax,
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: and we get sleepy. I'm Tom, and it's my honor
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: to be your host. Thanks so much for tuning in. Tonight,
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  Speaker 1: we'll travel to a village in China on the night
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  Speaker 1: of the Lantern Festival. This beautiful celebration marks the end
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  Speaker 1: of the Lunar New Year festivities, which occur around this
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  Speaker 1: time every year. Let's just take a brief moment to
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  Speaker 1: unwind before our story. Begin with some deep, relaxing breaths,
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  Speaker 1: filling up the lungs as you draw the air in.
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  Speaker 1: then gently releasing it back out, enjoying the calming sensation
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  Speaker 1: of the exhale. As you breathe, remind yourself that this
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  Speaker 1: is the time to let go of daily trials and tribulations.
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  Speaker 1: Turn down the lights in your mind Allow everything to dim.
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  Speaker 1: It's night time now. There's nothing left to see or do.
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  Speaker 1: Allow just one thing to remain in your mind. That's
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  Speaker 1: the sound of my voice. Imagine it's like the light
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  Speaker 1: of the moon. Illuminating your world just enough to guide
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  Speaker 1: you to a quiet, peaceful place where you can rest
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  Speaker 1: with ease and comfort. And it's in a quiet, peaceful
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  Speaker 1: village that our story begins. You step out of the
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  Speaker 1: guesthouse and onto the hard-packed dirt road. Here, in the
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  Speaker 1: glow of the red lantern hanging from the eaves, you
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  Speaker 1: fasten your cozy jacket and tuck your scarf into its folds.
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  Speaker 1: You're grateful for the warmth of your clothing in the
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  Speaker 1: crisp night air, but although the weather is chilly, you
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  Speaker 1: plan to venture out into the village tonight. After all,
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  Speaker 1: It's the final night of the Lunar New Year celebration.
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  Speaker 1: For the last two weeks, people have enjoyed time spent
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  Speaker 1: at home with their families, away from work. There has
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  Speaker 1: been an abundance of good food shared with loved ones,
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  Speaker 1: and evenings of exchanging stories and small gifts. Children received
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  Speaker 1: tiny red paper envelopes filled with lucky money, and houses
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  Speaker 1: were swept and cleaned in preparation for the new year ahead.
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  Speaker 1: You make your way down the small road, listening to
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  Speaker 1: the sound of the dirt crumbling beneath your feet. An
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  Speaker 1: ambient chatter permeates the village tonight. the soft sound of
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  Speaker 1: children laughing and people talking to one another drifts through
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  Speaker 1: doorways as families gather for a meal before heading outside.
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  Speaker 1: The road you're on is narrow, like all the streets here,
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  Speaker 1: twisting and turning with the natural curves of the hill
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  Speaker 1: on which this village is situated. As you near the
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  Speaker 1: main part of town, you begin to pass more and
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  Speaker 1: more wooden houses with grey tile roofs. Like at the guesthouse,
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  Speaker 1: lanterns hang from the eaves to light the street on
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  Speaker 1: dark nights. However, tonight is anything but dark. The doors
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  Speaker 1: of several of the houses have been left open, as
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  Speaker 1: though the families within are inviting passers-by, like you, to
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  Speaker 1: take part in their happiness and the joy of connection.
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  Speaker 1: In one home, you catch a glimpse of a family
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  Speaker 1: eating what looks like small bowls of hot soup, perfect
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  Speaker 1: for a brisk winter night. But this is a delicacy
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  Speaker 1: often served during the festival. Sweet rice balls filled with
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  Speaker 1: black sesame paste. Sitting in the round soup bowl, they
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  Speaker 1: remind you of little moons hanging in a clear night sky.
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  Speaker 1: They mirror the full moon, which bathes the village around
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  Speaker 1: you in a milky white glow. When the family finishes
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  Speaker 1: their treat, they'll join you and everyone else in the
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  Speaker 1: main plaza, which lies ahead of you now. From where
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  Speaker 1: you're standing on the winding street, you can see the
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  Speaker 1: ethereal glow of the town centre. Though you can't make
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  Speaker 1: out any of the lanterns yet, aside from those on
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  Speaker 1: the houses here, You know they are the reason for
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  Speaker 1: the radiance. Light shimmers around the edge of one of
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  Speaker 1: the buildings lining the main plaza. You take your time
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  Speaker 1: walking towards it, enjoying these last moments of relative quiet
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  Speaker 1: before you enter the heart of the festivities. It isn't
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  Speaker 1: cold enough to see your breath, but the cool breeze
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  Speaker 1: nips at your cheeks and nose. You tuck your hands
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  Speaker 1: into your pockets, feeling the warmth spread up your fingers
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  Speaker 1: and into your palms. Between the houses are narrow archways
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  Speaker 1: leading to the side entrances of the courtyard. that stand
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  Speaker 1: in the middle of these homes. Some of the courtyards
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  Speaker 1: have ponds, others a single tree. Many have plants and flowers,
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  Speaker 1: and perhaps a bench for a grandparent to sit and
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  Speaker 1: rest during the day. There are places for rest and
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  Speaker 1: quiet moments scattered throughout this village though it's bustling with
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  Speaker 1: activity tonight. As you near the last house before the
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  Speaker 1: main plaza, the individual sounds of the festival grow easier
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  Speaker 1: to make out. You hear a pair of children giggling,
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  Speaker 1: friends talking in cheerful tones, and somewhere further off, A
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  Speaker 1: person playing word games with an eager crowd. You take
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  Speaker 1: a deep breath and pause for a moment. Letting the
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  Speaker 1: anticipation build within you. And then you step out from
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  Speaker 1: behind the building. The brilliance of the scene in front
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  Speaker 1: of you is breathtaking. Breathtaking. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of
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  Speaker 1: lanterns in all shapes and sizes light up the plaza
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  Speaker 1: in dozens of colors. A rainbow of electric light pours
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  Speaker 1: out of every window, doorway, and alley. Plain lanterns are
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  Speaker 1: strung across the open area, suspended from roof and other
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  Speaker 1: parts of the surrounding buildings. Huge, colourful lanterns in the
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  Speaker 1: shapes of animals bounce and bob in the centre. Some
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  Speaker 1: are animated, with legs, arms and heads that move as
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  Speaker 1: their glowing interiors seem to float up and down. You
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  Speaker 1: spot one in the shape of an enormous tiger. Its
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  Speaker 1: golden body twinkles all over, save for where the long
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  Speaker 1: black stripes that cover it from head to toe block
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  Speaker 1: the light. It stands majestically atop a luminous green hill,
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  Speaker 1: surrounded by glimmering flowers and plants. The tip of its
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  Speaker 1: tail is black, and its belly is white. The tiger's
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  Speaker 1: head is accented with red, as is its mouth, which
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  Speaker 1: is open wide, showing off pairs of long white teeth.
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  Speaker 1: a smaller cub stands beside it. Together, they make a sweet,
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  Speaker 1: yet impressive pair. As you gaze up at the giant cat,
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  Speaker 1: a girl with pigtails walks past you. Like many of
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  Speaker 1: the children here, she's holding a small, battery-powered wand with
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  Speaker 1: lights dangling off the end. The lights are surrounded by
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  Speaker 1: multicolored orbs with shiny tassels in between them. There are
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  Speaker 1: three palm-sized orbs hanging from the wand in total. One
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  Speaker 1: is pink, another orange, and a third green. She pushes
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  Speaker 1: a button on the wand. and the bulbs encased within
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  Speaker 1: the orbs begin to twinkle in different patterns. Her face
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  Speaker 1: lights up with joy as she hurries over to show
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  Speaker 1: her friends. Her parents watch from the side of the
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  Speaker 1: plaza where they stand talking to another family. It seems
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  Speaker 1: as though the children are the heart of this portion
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  Speaker 1: of the evening. Some eagerly show their little lanterns to
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  Speaker 1: friends and neighbours, while others gaze wide-eyed at the larger
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  Speaker 1: lanterns displayed across the plaza. The scene around you is
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  Speaker 1: so magical, you can only begin to imagine it through
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  Speaker 1: the eyes of a child. You decide to amble slowly
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  Speaker 1: around the perimeter of the plaza, to take in all
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  Speaker 1: the sights and sounds from every angle. It's not a
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  Speaker 1: very large space, and yet it feels like a thousand
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  Speaker 1: tiny stars have been poured from the sky into this place.
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  Speaker 1: Many of the lanterns are red and made of paper.
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  Speaker 1: Some have writing on them and others are plain. Every
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  Speaker 1: so often the breeze dances through them and the paper
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  Speaker 1: ripples quietly as the lanterns swing back and forth. Most
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  Speaker 1: of the lanterns here have light bulbs inside But there
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  Speaker 1: are still a few, particularly those hanging under the protective
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  Speaker 1: cover of the eaves, whose flickering light still comes from
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  Speaker 1: the flame of a candle. After you begin your walk,
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  Speaker 1: a woman on the other side of the plaza catches
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  Speaker 1: your attention. She's standing before a crowd of eager onlookers.
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  Speaker 1: You move in closer to better hear what she's saying. Finally,
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  Speaker 1: you realize this is a riddle game. At the moment,
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  Speaker 1: it's focusing on calligraphy. The woman at the front is
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  Speaker 1: reciting the brushstrokes corresponding to a certain written character. Every
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  Speaker 1: person in the crowd is trying to draw the character
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  Speaker 1: in their mind's eye. You listen as she says, vertical line,
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  Speaker 1: horizontal line, dash, dot. Every so often, someone will call
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  Speaker 1: out a guess as to what the character is. After
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  Speaker 1: a few more brushstrokes, A man at the back guesses
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  Speaker 1: correctly to the joy of the crowd. Next, she begins
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  Speaker 1: to recite puns based on people's names. Neighbors laugh as
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  Speaker 1: she goes through them one by one. Then she moves
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  Speaker 1: on to some of the most popular riddles that everyone
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  Speaker 1: here has heard at least a few times in their lives.
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  Speaker 1: It forms a kind of call and response. She begins
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  Speaker 1: the riddle and the crowd all together calls out the answer.
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  Speaker 1: Watching everyone play you feel a sense of community and togetherness.
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  Speaker 1: Here in the light of the lanterns, you truly feel
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  Speaker 1: connected to everyone else around you. This is a joyous
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  Speaker 1: occasion and you're grateful to be able to take part.
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  Speaker 1: The sound of cheerful music drifts through the air Yet
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  Speaker 1: another detail making this night so special and so alive.
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  Speaker 1: It's a mix of traditional music and more contemporary instrumental pieces.
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  Speaker 1: Listening to it now brings a smile to your face.
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  Speaker 1: Many of the children around you carry small paper lanterns
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  Speaker 1: attached to the ends of short poles. The lanterns sway
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  Speaker 1: back and forth with every step, reminding you of fireflies
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  Speaker 1: on a summer's night. Soon, you notice that the crowd
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  Speaker 1: is beginning to make its way out of the main plaza.
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  Speaker 1: You feel yourself being pulled along by the current of people,
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  Speaker 1: like a river flowing gently downstream. On either side of you,
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  Speaker 1: paper lanterns bob rhythmically at the ends of poles being
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  Speaker 1: carried by two small children. One of them looks up
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  Speaker 1: at you and smiles, before turning her attention back to
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  Speaker 1: the light. Together, the group meanders slowly down the hill,
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  Speaker 1: to the archway that marks the entrance to the village.
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  Speaker 1: Up at the top of the gate, you can make
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  Speaker 1: out the name of this town, a simple piece of
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  Speaker 1: signage for anyone who might arrive here this way. The
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  Speaker 1: group gathers at this point and then continues onto the
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  Speaker 1: riverbank close by. No one is in a hurry. Every
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  Speaker 1: person takes their time, enjoying the companionship of all those
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  Speaker 1: around them. The river is calm and steady tonight. It
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  Speaker 1: glows in the soft light of the moon like a
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  Speaker 1: silver brushstroke across the land. Standing here at the water's edge,
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  Speaker 1: you can see the brilliant orb of the moon hanging
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  Speaker 1: high in the sky. Its gleaming reflection beams up at
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  Speaker 1: you from the surface of the river. Small ripples dance
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  Speaker 1: across it, and stars twinkle faintly in the dark water.
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  Speaker 1: You're thankful for the warmth of your jacket and scarf
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  Speaker 1: down here by the river. A light breeze whispers in
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  Speaker 1: the grass at your feet and flutters across the top
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  Speaker 1: of the water ever so slightly. The winter chill is
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  Speaker 1: more prominent here, outside the coziness of the village centre.
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  Speaker 1: But so is the magic of the night. Looking out
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  Speaker 1: beyond the riverbank, you can see the land continuing on endlessly.
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  Speaker 1: In places, it rises up, forming sharp hills. In other directions,
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  Speaker 1: it remains flat for some distance, until it loses all
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  Speaker 1: definition in the depths of the night. The moon casts
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  Speaker 1: its glow on the landscape here, leaving every peak and
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  Speaker 1: valley either in a shimmering pool of light or in
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  Speaker 1: the inky blackness of shadow. Soon, your attention is brought
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  Speaker 1: back to this side of the river, as you notice
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  Speaker 1: the people around you getting ready for the next part
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  Speaker 1: of the festival. Looking around, you see that everyone now
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  Speaker 1: has a small paper lantern. But instead of batteries, these
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  Speaker 1: have a fire source at their core. None of them
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  Speaker 1: have been lit yet. As you're casting your gaze over
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  Speaker 1: the crowd, one of the women you recognize from the
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  Speaker 1: plaza comes over to you. She's holding out a lantern
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  Speaker 1: with both hands. Here, you can use this one, she says,
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  Speaker 1: handing it to you gently. You smile and thank her,
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  Speaker 1: accepting the delicate paper object with your fingertips. The paper
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  Speaker 1: crinkles slightly in your grasp, making a pleasantly hollow sound.
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  Speaker 1: When every single person has their own lantern, people begin
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  Speaker 1: to light them. Dozens of tiny fires flicker to life
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  Speaker 1: within the white paper casings. And as softly as a feather,
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  Speaker 1: they begin to drift up into the sky, held aloft
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  Speaker 1: by flame and air. Carefully, you light the fire of
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  Speaker 1: your lantern and watch as its warm glow illuminates the
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  Speaker 1: wrinkled paper in your hands. You hold it up and
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  Speaker 1: then release it to join the countless others rising slowly
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  Speaker 1: into the sky. For a moment, you stand perfectly still
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  Speaker 1: captivated by the otherworldly scene. The lanterns float, weightless, into
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  Speaker 1: the vast expanse of night. They flicker as they ascend,
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  Speaker 1: as though carried along by the whispered wishes of all
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  Speaker 1: who stand on the riverbank down below. Glancing down, you
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  Speaker 1: see a reflection of all the floating lanterns in the
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  Speaker 1: river's gently rippling surface. To one side, you notice the moon,
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  Speaker 1: glimmering among the other globes of light. There is harmony
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  Speaker 1: between the water and the sky, with the moonlight shining
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  Speaker 1: up and down. and the lanterns dancing across both river
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  Speaker 1: and air. For a while, you stand there, marveling at
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  Speaker 1: the quiet beauty of the lanterns rising higher and higher
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  Speaker 1: into the night. You lose all track of time. So
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  Speaker 1: enchanted are you by the mesmerizing flow of light and breeze.
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  Speaker 1: The lapping of the river at the shore, the fresh
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  Speaker 1: scent of the cold night, and the vision of the
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  Speaker 1: distant lanterns wrap you up and hold you in their magic.
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  Speaker 1: Sometime later, you notice the people around you beginning to
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  Speaker 1: move once more. It must be well into the night
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  Speaker 1: by now. You can see the full moon has travelled
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  Speaker 1: further along its path through the sky. Slowly, with the chill,
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  Speaker 1: you feel your body begin to move with them. carrying
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  Speaker 1: you back to the entrance archway, through the gate, and
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  Speaker 1: to the narrow street that winds up the hill to
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  Speaker 1: the main plaza. When you reach the once bustling square,
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  Speaker 1: families disperse in all directions. You trail after those heading
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  Speaker 1: the same way as you, following in their footsteps as
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  Speaker 1: they leave the plaza behind and walk up the dirt road. Smiling,
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  Speaker 1: they pass by the houses whose doors were left open earlier. Eventually,
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  Speaker 1: they turn off the road and walk into one of
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  Speaker 1: the wooden homes. The little girl in the family turns
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  Speaker 1: and smiles at you as you pass, continuing on your
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  Speaker 1: way up to the guesthouse. Now, the street is quiet.
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  Speaker 1: It's just you, the crumbling earth beneath your feet. and
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  Speaker 1: the glow of the lanterns hanging from the eaves of
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  Speaker 1: the homes you pass. Their gentle light illuminates the way back,
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  Speaker 1: and soon you find yourself at the door to the guesthouse.
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  Speaker 1: You step inside and take off your shoes. exchanging them
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  Speaker 1: for house slippers. Quietly, you pad into your room. After
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  Speaker 1: hanging up your heavy clothes, you change into pyjamas and
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  Speaker 1: then crawl into bed. Though you know the night is
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  Speaker 1: cold outside, it's warmer in here. but not too warm.
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  Speaker 1: It's cool enough that you are comfortable snuggling beneath the
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  Speaker 1: covers and pulling them softly around you. It isn't long
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  Speaker 1: before your eyes begin to close. You can feel sleep
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  Speaker 1: coming easily tonight. Soon, in the quiet of the guesthouse,
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  Speaker 1: you begin to drift off, with visions of moons, tigers,
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  Speaker 1: and the wondrous glow of a thousand lanterns dancing in
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  Speaker 1: your mind.
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  Speaker 2: You Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It's
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  Speaker 2: not just about you. It's about you. It's not just
• 31:12
  Speaker 2: about you. Thank you for watching.
• 31:53
  Speaker 1: Thank you.
• 32:27
  Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you for watching. Thank you. so Thank you.
• 34:48
  Speaker 2: Thanks for watching! Thank you. Thank you.