Obon Festival

Obon Festival

July 13-15; August 13-15

Also called the Bon Festival or Festival of the Dead, this is the time when the dead revisit the earth, according to Japanese Buddhist belief. Throughout Japan, in either July or August, depending on the area, religious rites and family reunions are held in memory of the dead.
On the first evening of the festival, small bonfires are lit outside homes to welcome the spirits of ancestors. A meal, usually vegetables, rice cakes, and fruit, is set out for the spirits, and for two days they are spoken to as though they were present. On the final day (July 15 or Aug. 15), farewell dumplings are prepared, and another bonfire is lit outside the house to guide the spirits back. The climax is the Bon-Odori, "dance of rejoicing," folk dances held in every town by the light of paper lanterns, to comfort the souls of the dead. Some Bon-Odori dances are especially famous—one being the Awa Odori of Tokushima, which is accompanied by puppet shows and groups of musicians parading night and day.
At midnight some families gather the leftover rice cakes and food and take them to the waterfront. They are placed in a two- or three-foot-long boat made of rice straw with a rice straw sail; a lit paper lantern is on the bow and burning joss sticks at the stern. The breeze carries the boats, sustaining the spirits on their outward trip.
Obon celebrations are also held in Japanese communities throughout the world. About 500 people usually take part in the Bon-Odori in Chicago in July, and there are noted celebrations in several California cities.

CONTACTS:
Japan Information Network, Japan Center for Intercultural Communications
2-7-7 Hirakawacho
Chiyodaku
Tokyo, 102-0093 Japan
81-3-3263-5041; fax: 81-3-3230-4107
home.jcic.or.jp/en/index-e.html

SOURCES:
BkFest-1937, pp. 80, 200
BkHolWrld, Jul 13
DictFolkMyth-1984, pp. 154, 155, 541, 542, 730, 812, 1051
DictWrldRel-1989, pp. 31, 135, 374
EncyRel-1987, vol. 2, p. 553
FolkAmerHol-1999, p. 294
FolkWrldHol-1999, p. 457
IntlThFolk-1979, p. 261
RelHolCal-2004, p. 220