Festival of the dead

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Festival of the dead
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Festival of the dead

• July 15 (Lunar calendar), or August 15 (Solar
  calendar) is celebrated in Japan as "Bon" or
  Urabon, The Feast of Lanterns, especially by the
  Japanese Buddhists. It is said that during the
  year, on this day only, the iron pot in hell is
  opened for the deceased. Buddhist services are
  held at temples and private houses for ancestors,
  relatives and friends who died in the past, and
  particularly for those who passed away during the
  past year. The particular feature of Obon is the
  offering of various foodstuff to the deceased,
  and of course all those who as emble for the
  service will partake of special food prepared for
  the day. This is because Obon originated in a
  Buddhist legend.

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Festival of the dead

• Obon used to be quite an important social event,
  and for attending the family Obon service, such
  persons engaged in works away from their native
  places invariably returned home. To factory and
  shop apprentices or household maids, Obon and
  January 15 were only two holidays in the whole
  year, when they were permitted to return home to
  their parents.

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Festival of the dead

• Eager to guide properly the spirits of ancestors
  on the day, it is customary to light lanterns at
  all houses. Some such lanterns were formerly very
  elaborate, especially made for the occasion. The
  most important feature of the service is the
  offering of food. Therefore to the ancestors are
  offered rice, vegetables, fruits, cakes, sweets
  and flowers. There are prepared special foods to
  be served to invited guests and friends. It is
  the spirit of giving food to fellow people that
  lies under this religious service. It is
  religious day, but also quite a joyful social
  occasion.

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Festival of the dead

• In the Hiroshima area, coloured paper lanterns
  are lighted at the ancestral graves. The white
  ones are for those who passed away during Aug. 16
  of the previous year till Aug. 15 of this year

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Festival of the dead

• "Toro-Nagashi" or lantern floating is the
  picturesque ending to the Obon service. To guide
  the ancestral spirits back to the other world,
  little floats are lighted with candles and
  floated down rivers or on the sea. People eagerly
  watch them float down the river or carried by the
  wind far away from the shore.

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Festival of the dead

• "Bon-Odori" or Bon dance, a religious folk dance,
  was originally given to comfort the spirit of the
  dead during the o-bon season. It is enjoyed by
  men, women, and even little children. It differs
  naturally according to locality, as each district
  has its own songs and styles of dancing. Recently
  many modern or even foreign songs and dances have
  been introduced to these programmes. It is
  generally held in temple or shrine compounds sea
  or river shores or other convenient public
  places. A raised tower-like stand is erected and
  around the stand the people dance all night with
  the music.

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Modern day Japan

• Hiruki Family Tomb, Fukue, Nagasaki
  Prefecture, Japan
• In Japan, in accordance with Buddhist
  tradition, the bones of a deceased family member
  are placed in an individual urn and kept with
  those of their ancestors in a family tomb
  (ohaka). Living family members visit the tomb on
  Ohigan (Spring and Fall Equinox) and during Obon
  (Festival of the Dead) in the summertime. Most
  Japanese people live in big cities these days,
  and must travel long distances to their ohaka,
  which tend to be in smaller cities and towns in
  the countryside. In families whose members live
  far away, not everyone can make it back to their
  ohaka for Obon every summer to pay their
  respects.

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Modern day Japan

• Every family member tries to make it back to the
  family tomb at some point during the week, so
  they can pay their respects to their ancestors.
  It is one of the few times in the year that
  grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and
  grandchildren can get together. Most Japanese
  don't live anywhere near their family tomb these
  days, so this means that every mode of
  transportation is very busy during this time.
  Avoid travelling in Japan during this week if at
  all possible, unless you like crowds and line
  ups!

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Modern day Japan

• August is a hot, humid month in Japan The most
  comfortable of the socially acceptable things to
  wear is a yukata, a colorful light cotton kimono.
  The part of obon that the younger children (okay,
  AND the older "children") enjoy the most is
  lighting hanabi (firecrackers/fireworks,
  literally "flowery fire"). There is a constant
  hissing, popping and cracking over the course of
  the evening.

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Modern day Japan

• As the evening progresses, the lanterns glow ever
  more brightly. Once the incense and candles burn
  out, the lanterns are packed up and taken home,
  where chilled suika (watermelon) is waiting!

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