The Ikebukuro Campus of Rikkyo University, Tokyo, held a Candle Night event on December 22, 2006, under the title of "Candle Night Winter Solstice in Rikkyo--Turn off the lights and light a fire in your mind." This was the second Candle Night at the university. The first event was held the summer of the same year. Gaining support from university organizations such as the Office of the Chaplains and the Volunteer Center, students established an organizing committee for the event. Making plans and preparations for the event took over several months.

How has the Candle Night in Rikkyo taken its form?
In the spring of 2005, a poet who graduated from the university made a proposal to have a poetry workshop during a Candle Night event. It would be an opportunity to think about and share "our happiness" together. The proposal inspired the student environmental groups to hold the first Candle Night event in the summer of 2005, hoping to spark environmental awareness in their community.

The 2005 winter event was held on the last day of class, just before the winter holidays. Every year, Rikkyo University's symbol, a cedar tree, is decorated with illumination lights about a month before Christmas. It has been one of Tokyo's tourist spots in winter. The famous Christmas illumination was turned off on one night, and instead a tree made of candles was supposed to be lit. Since this is the second Candle Night event in Rikkyo, many people supported and helped the event. Thus, the winter event focused on the people who gathered there, their reflections over the year 2005, and their feelings. Requiem was also one of the focuses of the event. So many lives were lost due to devastative natural disasters in 2004 and 2005, as well as, war and terrorism, despite the world's wish for peace.

The event started at 17:00 with candle service at the chapel. Compared to the summer event, it was already dark at 17:00, and all participants realized how short the day on the winter solstice. After the service, participants moved to a classroom, and joined a poetry workshop over fair-trade coffee. The theme of the workshop was "meets Memory." All the participants looked into their mind and to make poems. Then, they watched an interview with the promoters of the Candle Night Committee, Ms. Miyako Maekita, Mr. Shinichi Tsuji, Mr. Kazuyoshi Fujita and Mr. Shinichi Takemura and the video footages of Ache in Indonesia, which was devastated from the Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami, and the places ruined by large earthquake in northern Pakistan. Watching these images, each participant thought about the year's events on their own.

Then, the participants went outside for the countdown event--turning off the lights of the symbolic cedar tree, university buildings and facilities and streetlights. They were supposed to light the tree made of candles, but the winds were too strong. Each participant held a candle with a wind screen attached while listening to the student's hand bell performance.

Rikkyo University is located in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, one of Japan's major downtown areas. It is always surrounded by hustle and bustle, completely opposite from a "slow world." Twice a year, spending slow nights under the theme of "Turn off the lights, take it slow" has been very important. It would be a great pleasure if the Candle Night event could help change people's lives as well as the environment in the surrounding area.

(Article and photo: courtesy of Rikkyo University Candle Night Committee)

March 3, 2006