Myers Flat’s Great Stupa of Universal Compassion will become a sea of flags, music and people this Saturday as the Festival of Light kicks into gear.
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Now in its fourth year, the festival is billed as a multicultural celebration of peace and harmony inspired by the Buddha’s life.
Organisers expect somewhere between 5000 and 8000 people to visit the Great Stupa for everything from guided tours to workshops, meditations and gift stalls.
Meanwhile, 800 prayer flags made by local school children will light up the inside of the Great Stupa.
Each flag is one child’s depiction of peace. The flags are traditionally hung so that when the wind catches them, prayers will waft into the world.
Stupa volunteer Linda Jackson has been putting the final touches on the flags.
”It’s altogether extraordinary the creative ways these kids have represented peace,” she said.
No-one knows exactly how long the prayer flags would be if they were laid out end to end. But volunteer Aleishia Ng said it would have to be “at least a kilometre or two, maybe more.”
Festivities will start at noon, with the fireworks and light show beginning at six.