Lanterns illuminated Jamaica Pond at Spontaneous Celebrations’ Lantern Parade Oct. 19 and 20, an event that has been a staple in the Jamaica Plain community since it began 40 years ago. The event celebrates the arrival of winter, as participants wear costumes, light lanterns and walk around Jamaica Pond to welcome the night. 

“We enter the night with … hope of light and good energy for the winter,” said Zafiro Patiño, cofounder and board member of Spontaneous Celebrations. The group aims to bring the community together through festivals, community events and artistic projects. 

Femke Nijdam Rosenbaum, co-founder of Spontaneous Celebrations, created the festival to bring her Netherland roots of Sint-Maarten to the United States. Sint-Maarten, a holiday celebrated in November to honor bishop St. Martin, includes traditions of children going door to door with lanterns, singing songs and receiving candy. 

“My friend and I, we were both teachers. We would make lanterns with the kids as a project. But then there was never an evening where you could really see them in the dark,” Rosenbaum said. She decided to bring her project to the community in Jamaica Plain. Now, Spontaneous Celebrations hosts lantern making workshops in their rented workspace, located at 45 Danforth St., two days a week for about a month before the parade. 

Rosenbaum has always had a passion for being involved in the community. She would often rent out rooms in her house so people in the community would have a safe place to host parties and events. 

“We always live with a lot of people,” she said.

Besides the lanterns, the festival featured forms of live entertainment, such as live music and drumming performances. Amara Good and Dario Garcia Taylor both came to the event as choir members of the locally-based multigenerational choir SingPositive. They performed along the walking path for attendees, singing a small selection of their repertoire. 

SingPositive embodies the same values of community as the Lantern Parade and Spontaneous Celebrations. 

“I had read that singing with other people was really good for mental health, being in community and singing and harmonizing with people,” Garcia Taylor said. 

The event also featured activities for children to take part in, including an apple cider press. The press was purchased in New Hampshire for the very first parade 41 years ago, according to Bill Perkins, an event staff member. The kids helped make the cider that was served to guests. 

Rosalba Solis, cofounder and board member at Spontaneous Celebrations, ran the food station. Solis came to the United States from Mexico 45 years ago to pursue music, and now volunteers at the Rafael Hernández Dual Language K-8 School. 

Solis runs a program through the school to get student volunteers to work at the food and drink stands. The volunteers served homemade pastelitos, a Cuban pastry filled with both sweet and savory ingredients. 

“It’s always pastelitos and apple cider,” Solis said. Solis attended the very first parade in 1984, and said she is overjoyed by its growth.

“Last year we had kind of a rainy Sunday. We didn’t know how many people were going to show up. Surely enough, everybody [came with] umbrellas, rain boots and raincoats,” Solis said. 

The guests emphasized the joy the event brought the neighborhood, affirming why it is well-attended. “This is the best thing to do in J.P. all year long, and it’s our favorite part of living in J.P.,” said Kate Connors. Her family resides in Jamaica Plain, and she has been coming to the event with her family for six years. 

“As an adult, you get just as into the magic of Halloween as the kids do. We see everyone we know, the kids run into friends, everyone’s excited to see each other,” Connors said. 

Andrew Brilliant, a resident of Jamaica Plain for 40 years, seconded the magic of the Lantern Parade. He attended the very first parade, and though his children are now grown, he still likes to attend to be a part of the community.

“It’s a beautiful community event. It ushers in the winter, and we get to see all of our friends and new people, and the vibe is just amazing,” Brilliant said. 

While the festival is mostly attended by those who live in the area, Rosenbaum has hopes in extending its reach to other nearby communities. 

“The way I see it is if you put a compass on Stony Brook station … you make a circle about a mile and a half you get a big piece of Mission Hill, Roxbury and Dorchester,” Rosenbaum said. “I really want to reach out to that part of the community.” 

Spontaneous Celebrations also hosts a Wake Up the Earth festival in the spring, which follows the English May Day tradition of bringing in the light after the winter season. 

“The people feel really comfortable at our center because it’s a little funky … and we’re all kind of odd anyway,” Rosenbaum said.

In the future, Spontaneous Celebrations hopes to involve more of the younger generations to pass down their traditions and embrace the ideals of the event. 

“It’s just to celebrate together. You know, it’s a very important piece of life,” Patiño said.