Whatever your beliefs are on life after death, the Japanese have a comforting and appealing belief.
Wouldn’t you like you’re (deceased) loved ones to come back to visit you once a year?
This is what happens during the Obon festival (Bon).
Obon is an annual Buddhist event for commemorating one’s ancestors. It is believed that each year during Obon, the ancestor’s spirits return to visit their relatives.
The Origins of Obon
The Buddhist festival has been celebrated for over 500 years. It originates from the tale of Maha Maudgalyayana (Mokuren), he was a disciple of Buddha who used his powers to see the spirit of his deceased mother. He found out she was in the Realm of Hungry Ghosts (will add a paragraph at the end of the article if you are curious to find out more about this Realm).
Mokuren was in despair about his mother’s situation and that she was suffering, so he asked the Buddha for advice. He found out that his mother had been greedy and stingy in life. Buddha advised Mokuren to make offerings to Buddhist monks so doing the opposite of what his mother did to atone for her behavior. On the 15th day of the 7th month, he followed Buddha’s advice and his mother was released from her suffering.
Mokuren was so happy he danced for joy, and from this Bon Odori (Bon dance) came into being.
When is Obon?
This is surprisingly difficult to answer.
Obon is observed from the 13th to the 15th day of the 7th month. However, according to the lunar calendar, the 7th month is July, but according to the lunar calendar, the 7th month is August. So, therefore, Obon is celebrated at different times in different regions, depending on which calendar they observe.
The official 2019 dates are August 13 – 15. The Obon week in mid-August is one of Japan’s three major holiday seasons making it one of the busiest times of the year for traveling.
Obon traditions
Welcome fire (Mukaebi)
Families light the way for ancestors, to ensure they are able to find their way home on the thirteenth (August), the first day of the festival known as Mukaebon.
Traditionally families would have lit a fire outside their house, nowadays an electric paper lantern is more commonly placed inside the house. A fire or electric paper lantern is often placed outside a home, if it’s the first Bon after a family member has passed away, to help the spirit find its way back for the first time.
Offerings
The families want their ancestors to feel comfortable and at home, so a special altar is prepared, on the altar food offerings such as fruit, rice, green tea, sake, beer. The offerings could be a light meal to a larger meal. The Hazuki (Chinese lantern) plants flowers resemble a lantern so it is a popular decoration during Obon.
Hozuki” (Chinese lantern plant) yearly held on 9th to 10th of July in and around the premises of Sensōji temple in Asakusa
Spirit Animals
This is a lovely detail I found out about the Bon festival, spirit animals made from cucumbers and eggplants, with wooden sticks for legs are to transport the ancestors to and from the realm of the dead. The cucumber is said to be a horse to bring the ancestors quickly to the family home and the eggplant is a cow that slowly takes them back. They are put outside the door on the first day of Obon with some incense. The trail of incense is used to help the ancestors find their way home.
I think this is a great part of Obon and gets the children involved in making the animals and into the tradition of Obon. It’s a great introduction for them to a great Japanese festival.
Visiting Ancestors graves
At the peak of Obon on August 14th and 15th, many Japanese people take this time off, even though they are not official national holidays. They return to their hometowns to be with family.
During this time, they will visit their relative’s graves, to clean the gravestones, place flowers, light incense, and make offerings.
It’s a time for a family to get together, catch up on what’s happening in their busy lives since they are likely to be scattered all over Japan, and pay respect to their relatives.
Bon Odori (Bon dance)
In Japan, there aren’t many occasions when people dance, so this makes Bon Odori so special to literally see people dancing in the streets.
It was originally a folk dance to welcome the spirits of the dead, the style of dance and musical instruments vary greatly from area to area.
The typical Bon dance involves people in a circle around a wooden stage called a yagura. The yagura is usually also the bandstand for musicians and singers.
The taiko drum provides the main beat and music for the dancers with also a traditional flute. The dancers perform the same steps simultaneously while moving in a large circle around the yagura. This style is commonly seen all over Japan.
Another popular style is when groups of dancers parade through the streets, you can see this throughout Japan. The most famous takes place in Tokushima Awa Odori, where hundreds of dancers, dance through the streets with musicians playing lutes, taiko drums, shamisen, and bells.
The performers are dressed in colorful light cotton kimonos. Also, the dancers sing a repetitive chant. Their song and the music all really add to the energy and lively atmosphere is an enthralling sight to see and experience.
I highly recommend you check out the youtube link below to a video of Awa Dori in Tokushima.
The Fiery Farewell
On Okuuribon – the sixteenth of the month, it’s time to say goodbye to their ancestors. This is done as it was at the start of Obon when they were invited back with fire.
The fires are often lit near water, such as by a river, lake and by the sea. In a lovely symbolic way, in some areas of Japan, floating lanterns (toro nagashi), dozens or hundreds of lanterns float down a river that runs into the sea to symbolically send their ancestors spirits into the sky.
In a dramatic and fiery event bonfires are lit on five mountainsides near Kyoto on August 16. The fires are in the shape of the kanji Dai meaning big. In a smaller event, bonfires are lit on a mountainside in Hakone near Tokyo.
Overall, I find Obon a fascinating festival, which gathers the family together from all parts of Japan to eat, drink and catch up with each other’s busy lives and basically enjoy each other’s company. In addition, their ancestors are welcomed back and remembered by the family.
Obon combines so many marvelous traditions, the fires for the ancestors to find their way back home, then a fire is lit to send them back to where they came from. Even the spirit vegetable animals are such great detail.
Showing respect by visiting and cleaning their ancestor’s graves, and of course the lively Bon Odori dance.
It might be a hot and humid time in Japan, but if you find yourself there in July/August you are guaranteed to experience an amazing festival.
Please skip this if you don’t want further information about the realm of hungry ghosts mentioned at the beginning of the origins of Obon.
The realm of hungry ghosts
In Buddhism and Taoism, the soul with evil deeds will be reborn in one of six different realms.
According to tradition, evil deeds that lead to becoming a hungry ghost are killing, stealing and sexual misconduct. These seem fair enough, but the following seems a bit harsh. Desire, greed, anger, and ignorance are also factors for the soul to be reborn as a hungry ghost because they are motives for people to perform evil deeds.
The hungry ghost realm is occupied by souls whose existence is characterized by constant craving which they can never satisfy. The hungry ghosts are described as having an enormous empty belly, a long thin neck, and a pinhole-sized mouth.
In this realm, these creatures search incessantly for food and drink, but there long thin necks and pinhole mouths make it impossible for them to get any nourishment. When hungry ghosts try to drink, the water turns to fire and ash in their mouth, making their thirst even worse.
If you have found the Traditional Japanese Festival interesting, please have a look at other Traditional Japanese Festivals we have covered.
Traditional Japanese New Year https://japanesetales.com/experience-a-fascinating-traditional-japanese-new-year/
Tatabata (Star Festival) https://japanesetales.com/tanabata-the-star-festival/
