Sky Lanterns - Do you agree with their use?

We have been selling these lanterns now for a while and some customers have expressed concerns - Especially some that let them fly at weddings. Basically the standard lanterns are made from rice paper and bamboo all of which is bio-degradable, at the bottom of the lantern a fuel sorce is attached and this is done by twisting four pieces of fine wire onto the bottom of the sky lantern. The concerns come in a couple of types - Wedding venues that express that there is a risk of fire from the lanterns and those surrounding land owners that say if the lanterns land in rural farming fields then animals can injest the wire and be hurt badly.

Our recommendations have always been clear in the safety instructions for the chinese sky lanterns - they should not be used in winds over 5mph, although when people have wedding parties planned they find it very difficult to restrain themselves from letting the lanterns off and disregarding the wind conditions - after all if you have spent thousands on your wedding you want it to be as good a day as possible and not waste the lanterns if you have paid for them. In still conditions (the ideal for lantern release) the chinese lanterns will fly straight up and hang up to 1km above the users creating a beautiful effect, videos can be seen of them on youtube. However when released in winds over 5mph the lanterns can travel surprisingly quickly - this genrally isnt a problem apart from the users not seeing the lanterns for as long as they would were the conditions still, but and this is the big but - the danger comes when buildings or trees are in the vicinity and the wind can blow the lit sky lantern into them - basically common sense should be used and where the release instructions are not followed users risk prosecution if they have acted irresponsibly.

Further concerns have been expressed with lanterns apparently landing in crops and causing fires - this as far as we know is not proven and we don't know of any incidences of crop fires that can be directly attributed to the lanterns and the only way this could happen were if the lantern was damaged prior to release. Its a case of thinking carefully before release and taking the wind direction into account - if a lantern is released and lit correctly without any damage there is no way that it could come to earth still alight as it only begins to fall to earth once the fuel has burn't up. Fireworks are a far more dangerous proposition and the lanterns are brilliant for weddings as guests can write good luck messages on them and send them heavenwards.

As for the question as to damage to livestock - thats not clean cut either, on the back of customer comments we do recommend the use of our Eco lanterns instead in rural areas or where there is the possibility of sky lanterns flying over farmland as they contain no metal parts whatsoever. There are reports of lanterns falling to the ground on farmland and the wire from the standard lanterns being bailed up into feed for animals and causing problems but there is very little evidence as yet of this happening - if you have some evidence then we would love you to send it in so we can include it in our warnings and instructions and help people choose where they let lanterns fly.

People using the lanterns often write special messages to loved ones and wishes on their lanterns prior to letting them fly. When a large number of the Chinese Lanterns fly together they create an amazing effect - sometimes they are even reported as UFO's! What we want to know is should they be banned as some people suggest or do the benefits outweigh the negative effects that are caused by people not using them within the rules and instructions.

Link - UK promotion, Standard Chinese Sky Lanterns

Simon Young
Managing Partner
DVD-and-Media.com
DVD and Case suppliers and importers - distributors for Chinese factories in the UK