Lanterns Over Cherating: A Night of Light and Letting Go

There’s a hush that falls over Cherating when the last bit of sun slips into the sea. It’s the kind of quiet that carries anticipation. Like the gentle inhale before a wish.

We arrived just as twilight began to soften the edges of the beach. Barefoot on cool sand, surrounded by strangers who somehow felt like old friends. In their hands—folds of paper and flame, stories and dreams shaped into lanterns.

Cherating, this sleepy coastal village in Pahang, had never looked more alive. The sky above, once dark and heavy, soon transformed into a slow-dancing canvas of flickering lights. One by one, the lanterns rose—glowing, floating, ascending like whispered prayers.

I watched a little girl let hers go with both hands trembling and wide-eyed joy. An elderly couple nearby held theirs together, fingers intertwined, the lantern reflecting years of love in their soft smiles. And me? I stood still, trying to take it all in—this moment where everything felt light enough to rise.

What makes the Lantern Festival in Cherating so magical isn’t just the beauty of it. It’s the unspoken agreement among everyone there: to release, to hope, to believe. Each lantern carries something personal—a memory, a promise, an ache, a beginning. And as they drift upward, so do we.

There’s something healing about letting go beneath a sky full of golden embers. And in that golden hour of night, we became part of the light.

So if you ever find yourself lost, or heavy with things unsaid—come to Cherating when the lanterns bloom. Bring your heart, and a wish. The sky is waiting.