| Obon Festival | |
|---|---|
 A depiction of Obon in the lateEdo period | |
| Also called | Bon |
| Observed by | Japanese people |
| Type | Religious, Cultural |
| Significance | Honors the spirits of one's ancestors |
| Date |
|
| 2025 date | 6 September |
| 2026 date | 27 August |
| 2027 date | 16 August |
| 2028 date | 3 September |
| Duration | 4 days |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to |
|
Obon (お盆;[o.boꜜɴ][1]) or justBon (盆;[boꜜɴ][2][a]) is a fusion of the ancient Japanese belief in ancestral spirits and a JapaneseBuddhist custom tohonor the spirits of one's ancestors. This syncretic folk Buddhist custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit thehousehold altars. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known asBon Odori.
The festival of Obon lasts for three days; however, its starting date varies within different regions of Japan. When thelunar calendar was changed to theGregorian calendar at the beginning of theMeiji era, the localities in Japan responded differently, which resulted in three different times of Obon. Traditionally, Obon was celebrated on the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar.
Obon is now observed during one of the following periods:
These days are not listed as public holidays, but it is customary for people to be given leave.
Within theJapanese diaspora, the obon is usually tied to a fundraising event for a temple, church, and even non-sectarian Japanese community organizations. As a result, Japanese organizations within a particular region will often coordinate their dates on different weekends throughout the summer as the participants were not expected to be given leave during the workweek if the date fell on a weekday, and to allow for the greater community to support each other's events. It isn't uncommon for families in regions with a larger Japanese emigrant population to visit multiplefestivals in support of the greater community.[3][4]
The Japanese Obon Festival is heavily influenced by theGhost Festival of Buddhism and the Chinese TaoistZhongyuan (中元) Festival.
Before Buddhism came to Japan, there was already a custom in place to beckon the deceased home to their families twice a year, both in spring and autumn, on the night of the full moon. This custom already had a close connection to the ancestor-veneration characteristic it has in modernity.[5]
The Buddhist tradition originates from the story ofMaha Maudgalyayana (Mokuren), a disciple of theBuddha, who used his supernatural powers to look upon his deceased mother only to discover she had fallen into the Realm ofHungry Ghosts and was suffering.[6] Greatly disturbed, he went to the Buddha and asked how he could release his mother from this realm. Buddha instructed him to make offerings to the manyBuddhist monks who had just completed their summer retreat on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. Mokuren did this and, thus, saw his mother's release. He also began to see the true nature of her past selflessness and the sacrifices she had made for him during her lifetime. The disciple, happy because of his mother's release from suffering and grateful for her many kindnesses, danced with joy. From this dance of joy comes theBon Odori or "Bon Dance", a time during which ancestors and their sacrifices are remembered and appreciated. See also:Ullambana Sutra.
In recorded history,Obon was practised as a Buddhist tradition first under the reign ofEmpress Suiko (592—628). By 733, it seems to have been introduced as a customary Buddhist holiday in Japan within the court.[5]
The Japanese wordobon is composed of the honorific prefixo- and the wordbon. Thebon portion is from the longer Japanese namesUrabon (盂蘭盆) orUrabon'e (盂蘭盆会), in turn from the Chinese terms盂蘭盆 (Yúlánpén) or盂蘭盆會 (Yúlánpénhuì).
The Chinese terms are often described as deriving fromSanskritullambana meaning "hanging upside down", in reference to souls suffering in hell.[7] However, the Sanskrit word was sparse, if at all, attested;[8] in addition, it would be thepresent participle of verb Sanskritullamb ("to hang", intransitive), with no inherent "upside-down" meaning.[9][10]
Moreover, neither the purported meaning of "hanging upside-down" nor the verifiable meaning of "hanging" match the semantics very well, given that theurabon ceremonies are about helping the dead, closer in meaning to the "helping" sense of thePali verbullumpana ("raising, helping"),present participle ofullumpati ("to raise up, to help").[11] This suggests that explanations of the dead hanging upside-down in hell are more likely to befolk etymologies based on a mistaken connection to the Sanskrit verb, rather than a more direct semantic link to the Pali. Alternatively,Takakusu Junjiro[8] propounded that the origin was in fact Paliullumbana, a colloquial corruption of the Paliullumpana ("raising up; saving; helping"), and that the etymology was mistakenly attributed to Sanskrit.
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Bon Odori (盆踊り;[boɰ̃.oꜜ.do.ɾi],lit. 'Bon dance') is a style of dancing performed during Obon. It is a folk entertainment, which has a history of nearly 600 years.[12] Originally aNenbutsu folk dance to welcome thespirits of the dead, the style of celebration varies in many aspects from region to region.[5] Each region has a local dance, as well as different music. The music can be songs specifically pertinent to the spiritual message of Obon, or localmin'yō folk songs. Consequently, the Bon dance appears different from region to region.Hokkaidō is known for the folk-song"Sōran Bushi". The song"Tokyo Ondo" takes its namesake from the capital of Japan."Gujo Odori" inGujō inGifu Prefecture is famous for all night dancing."Gōshū Ondo" is a folk song fromShiga Prefecture. Residents of the Kansai area will recognize the famous"Kawachi Ondo".Tokushima inShikoku is very famous for its"Awa Odori", and in the far south, one can hear the"Ohara Bushi" ofKagoshima.
The way in which the dance is performed is also different in each region, though the typical Bon dance involves people lining up in a circle around a high wooden scaffold made especially for the festival called ayagura. Theyagura is usually also the bandstand for the musicians and singers of the Obon music. Some dances proceed clockwise, and some dances proceed counter-clockwise around theyagura. Some dances reverse during the dance, though most do not. At times, people face theyagura and move towards and away from it. Still some dances, such as the KagoshimaOhara dance, and the TokushimaAwa Odori, simply proceed in a straight line through the streets of the town.
The dance of a region can depict the area's history and specialization. For example, the movements of the dance of theTankō Bushi (the "coal mining song") of oldMiike Mine in Kyushu show the movements of miners, i.e. digging, cart pushing, lantern hanging, etc.; the above-mentionedSoran Bushi mimics the work of fishermen such as hauling in the nets. All dancers perform the same dance sequence in unison.
There are other ways in which a regional Bon dance can vary. Some dances involve the use of different kinds of fans, others involve the use of small towels calledtenugui which may have colourful designs. Some require the use of small wooden clappers, or"kachi-kachi", during the dance.
The music that is played during the Bon dance is not limited to Obon music andmin'yō; some modernenka hits and kids' tunes written to the beat of theondo are also used to dance to during Obon season.
The Bon dance tradition is said to have started in the later years of theMuromachi period as a public entertainment. In the course of time, the original religious meaning has faded, and the dance has become associated with summer.
The altar in Japanese households,kamidana, are given care by the families with decorations and offerings such as flowers and straw figures of animals and food. They do this not only for their own deceased but for the souls of the households who no longer have relatives within their vicinity. The offerings are placed in front of thetablets with the deceased person's name on it.[13]
Families who have lost a family member during a current year are known to give special attention to the preparations ofObon. They will light a small fire on the first evening of the festival to guide the souls back home. In the past people would light a line of lights towards the cemetery to make sure the souls would find their way.[13]
On the third day of the festivities the souls are sent back to the other side with fires to see them off, this is referred to asOkuribi ("sending fire"), or, in a larger scale, theBurning of the Character Big in the mountain. In this practice small lanterns are used that float down a river. This symbolises the way of the souls back to the world of the dead.[5] Both these fires mark the commencement (mukaebi) as well of the closing of the festival.[14]
Another significant ritual practiced during the Obon festival in Japan is to craft a cucumber horse and eggplant cow, known asshōryō uma (精霊馬, "spirit horse") orushi uma (牛馬, "cow horse"),[15][16] that act as a vessel for the ancestors to come back home and return, respectively.[17]
As Obon occurs in the heat of the summer, participants traditionally wearyukata, a kind of light cottonkimono. Many Obon celebrations include a hugecarnival with rides, games, and summer festival foods.[18]
Ryukyuans' version of the Obon celebration is known asBun / Usōrō. Observed in Okinawa and theAmami Islands, this version follows the lunar calendar, so the dates change yearly on the Gregorian calendar, sometimes extending into September. The dance performed in theOkinawa Islands is known aseisā. Similarly, theYaeyama Islands haveAngama,Yonaguni Island haveSuruburi.[19][20]
The Korean version of the Obon celebration is known asBaekjung. Participants present offerings at Buddhist shrines and temples, and masked dances are performed. It is as much an agricultural festival as a religious one.[21][22]
Pitri Paksha (literally "fortnight of the ancestors") is a 16–lunar dayperiod inHindu calendar whenHindus pay homage to their ancestors (Pitrs), especially through food offerings.Pitri Paksha is considered by Hindus to be inauspicious, given the death rite known asŚrāddha orTarpana performed during the ceremony.
In thePhilippines, Filipinos of Japanese descent, with support from the Philippine Nikkei Jin Kai Inc., Philippine Nikkei Jin Kai International School, Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku, and various other Japanese Filipino-based organizations, hold an Obon festival every year along with other Japanese-based Filipino festivals, to celebrate the ancestors of Filipinos of Japanese descent, and to celebrate the friendship between Japan and the Philippines.[23][24]
In Argentina, the Obon Festival is celebrated by Japanese communities during the summer of the southern hemisphere. The biggest festival is held in Colonia Urquiza, inLa Plata. It takes place on the sports ground of the La Plata Japanese School. The festival also includestaiko shows and typical dances.[25]
Obon Festival is celebrated every year in many Japanese communities all over Brazil, as Brazil is home tothe largest Japanese population outside Japan.São Paulo is the main city of the Japanese community in Brazil, and also features the major festival in Brazil, with streetodori dancing andmatsuri dance. It also featurestaiko andshamisen contests. The festival also features a variety of Japanese food and drink, art and dance. Obon is also celebrated in communities of Japanese immigrants and their descendants and friends throughout South America: Obon festivals can be found in the states of Santa Catarina, São Paulo, Goiás, Amazonas, Pará (Tomé-Açu), Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pernambuco, Bahia, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Brasília.[26]
InMalaysia, Obon Festival is also celebrated every year inEsplanade, Penang,Shah Alam Stadium inShah Alam,Selangor, and alsoUniversiti Malaysia Sabah atKota Kinabalu,Sabah. This celebration, which is a major attraction for the state of Selangor, is the brainchild of the Japanese Expatriate & Immigrant's Society in Malaysia. In comparison to the celebrations in Japan, the festival is celebrated on a much smaller scale in Penang, Selangor and Sabah, and is less associated with Buddhism and more with Japanese culture. Held mainly to expose locals to a part of Japanese culture, the festival provides the experience of a variety of Japanese food and drinks, art and dance, with the vast number of Japanese companies in Malaysia taking part to promote their products.
Obon festivals have been celebrated in North America, particularly byJapanese-Americans orJapanese-Canadians affiliated with Buddhist temples and organizations. The first recordedobon in the U.S. was organized by Japanese emigrant laborers on a sugar plantation inWainaku, Hawaii in 1885.[27] Privateobons were also organized by Japanese immigrant organizations in hotels and private residences on the West Coast with the first recorded event in 1923.[28] Buddhist Reverend Yoshio Iwanaga has been credited with popularizingobon in America with the first publicbon odori at the Buddhist Church of San Francisco in 1931.[29] Iwanaga also organized the first majorobon following WW2 in celebration ofBuddhist Churches of America's (BCA) Golden Jubilee in 1948, with anbon odori at San Francisco’sCity Hall Plaza, attracting more than 1,000 participants.[30]
BCA temples in the U.S. typically celebrate Obon Festival with both religiousobon observances and traditionalBon Odori dancing around ayagura.[3] Many temples also hold a cultural and food bazaar providing a variety of cuisine, art, andtaiko performances to display features of Japanese culture and Japanese-American history to the greater community.[31][32][33] Whileobon festivals are usually coordinated between various organizations to allow participants to support fellow churches and temples within the Japanese-American community, as in Japan, regional variations to the dances can be found between different communities.[34] Even someJapanese Christian churches in America have adopted some aspects ofobon with cultural festivals in the spring tied to the Easter holiday.[35]
The"Obon season" continues to play an important part of the present-day culture and life ofHawaii and are held among the five major islands on weekend evenings from June to August. They are held usually at Buddhist missions, but sometimes atShinto missions or at shopping centres.[36][37] At some Buddhist missions, the dance is preceded by a simple ritual where the families of the deceased in the past year burn incense for remembrance, but otherwise the event is non-sectarian. The songs played differ among the regions, however typically starts withTankō Bushi fromKyushu, continues with songs such asKawachi OtokoBushi,Yukata Odori, Asatoya Yunta and Ashibina from Okinawa Prefecture, and modern dances such as theBaseballOndo andPokémon Ondo for children, and typically ends withFukushima Ondo, celebrating abundant harvest.[38] The participants, Japanese descendants and the people of all races, dance in a big circle around theyagura, the central tower set up for the dance, from which recorded songs are broadcast. As on the mainland,bon dance lessons are given by volunteers in larger cities before the actual events.[39][40]
Japanese museums and other cultural organizations also hold summer festivals inspired byobon, such as theMorikami Museum in Florida,[41] and the Japanese Botanical Garden inSt. Louis, Missouri, which has hosted an Obon festival over Labor Day weekend every year since 1977. Known as the Japanese festival, it is a collaboration with several Japanese-American organizations, and hosts thousands of people over a three-day period.[42]
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