You didn't have to be Japanese to enjoy last night's lantern floating ceremony at Ala Moana Beach Park. The emotions were universal.

An estimated 30,000 people cheered, cried or simply stood in awe on the beach as some 1,400 of the glowing lanterns representing the spirits of the dead floated on the ocean in the gathering darkness. No one was left untouched.

"I can't think of anything more beautiful," said Barry Compagnoni, who drove in from 'Aikahi with his wife, Sheila, and their five daughters to see the ceremony for the first time. "It's very moving."

The ninth annual Lantern Floating Hawaii has its origins in Japan, where the lanterns are used to show respect to ancestors and to help ferry their spirits "from the sea of delusion and suffering to the shore of salvation," according to the Web site www.lanternfloatinghawaii.com.

Over the years, however, the ceremony in Hawai'i has grown to have a multicultural feel, held on the American Memorial Day with hula dancers, a University of Hawai'i orchestra, a European choir and hundreds of local volunteers participating.

"It's great to see all the local cultures represented here," said Ashley Baclaan, who stood on the beach with her friend Randy Ferriman, as Hawaiian canoes brought some of the paper lanterns with candles inside past thousands of people.

Baclaan had hoped to dedicate one of the lanterns to some of her Japanese ancestors, but like many others, arrived too late to sign up.

It didn't matter. Six of the lead lanterns represented universal concerns, including international and Hawaiian lanterns meant to offer prayers for the victims of natural calamities, water-related disasters, wars, famine and disease.

Laurie Cribb of Makiki hugged two visiting friends from Japan as the sun set, the offshore lanterns glowed brighter, and digital cameras flashed on the beach.

"This really brings strong feelings out in them," Cribb said. "They were raised in the post-Hiroshima era and were taught that there would be a new era of global peace. Thinking about all the people who died in global conflicts is very emotional for them."

The ceremony was sponsored by Na Lei Aloha Foundation and officiated by Shinnyo-en Hawai'i. The foundation said the event is in keeping with its mission of fostering 'ohana values and nurturing harmonious relationships.

The lanterns continued to glow long after people started heading home. Later, they were to be collected offshore and recycled for use again next year.

Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.