Obon
The Bon Festival (Obon) has just ended in Japan and we can breathe a little easier now that the smoke from incense has cleared away, heh. Obon is one of the three most important holiday periods in Japan, the other two being New Year and Golden Week. Technically it starts in July in the east of Japan and in August in the West, but it’s slowly migrated to August just about everywhere in Japan, as it coincides with the Lunar Calendar and summer holidays.
So, what is Obon? Basically it’s Buddhism’s answer to Mexico’s Day of the Dead festival. It is a Buddhist holiday where people take time to remember the dead. It is believed that the souls of the dead come back to their homes during this period. The smoke of fires and incense helps guide the spirits both to their homes then back to their graves (ohaka).
During this festival, you will notice many lanterns and smoke, but also dances (called bon odori) at temples. Anyone can participate in these dances, so if you’re feeling game, jump up on stage and copy what everyone else is doing.
Every part of Japan has their own Obon traditions. Some places have floating paper lanterns that they light up on the night of the 15th and then let drift down the river to the sea to guide the spirits back. Hanabi is also common. Perhaps the most famous Obon festival tradition is Gozan no Okuribi in Kyoto. On the night of August 16th, the culmination of the festival, five large kanji characters and icons that have been carved into the hillsides around Kyoto are set alight. It’s an amazing sight, if you can catch it. There are many vantage points around Kyoto but you can be sure it will be crowded everywhere.
Japan is very quiet during Obon. People will go back to their hometowns (like during New Year) and many businesses will be closed. If you are in Japan during this time, make sure you take the same precautions you would over New Year, particularly taking out cash from your bank accounts and organising any business beforehand.
Links:
Wikipedia’s article on Obon
Wikipedia’s article on Gozan no Okuribi
About.com’s article on Obon
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