Obon - The Japanese Traditional Festival
Summer in Japan is a time of the year when various big and small festivals take place. Each festival holds different meanings and unique characteristics. Among them, the Obon festival in August stands out as a significant occasion for Japanese people to show gratitude and respect to their ancestors.
- What is the Obon Festival?
The Obon festival has a history of over 500 years, with the filial story of Mokuren passed down through generations. This annual festival takes place in the middle of August according to the Gregorian calendar and holds significant spiritual importance in Japanese culture.
They believe that during this time, the souls of the deceased return to visit their living relatives. As a result, during the festival days, they prepare many things to welcome their ancestors back home in the most elegant and organized manner, allowing them to depart peacefully to the afterlife.
The main events of the Obon festival are Mukaebo (Welcoming the Souls) and Okuribo (Seeing off the Souls), arranged in a specific order to suit the appropriate times.
- Timeline of the Obon Festival
On August 12th: Ancestor Welcoming Preparation Day. The people of Japan usually decorate cucumbers and eggplants with bathing sticks or chopsticks, with the cucumber representing a horse and the eggplant representing a cow. Their ancestors will ride the horse to return to their families and then ride the cow to gradually go back to the afterlife.
On August 13th: Souls Reception Festival. In the evening of this day, they place lit lanterns in front of the family altars and burn trimmed thorny bushes from the garden and gate. The burning fire helps guide the souls back home.
The Japanese believe that the departed will ride the smoke from the burning fire to safely return home, hence this smoke is an important guiding element in this ceremony, known as "Michishirube."
On August 14th and 15th: These are the days when the spirits stay at home. During this time, family members will visit the graves of their ancestors. They clean the graves and offer flowers, and light incense to worship their ancestors. Afterward, they gather together and have a meal. This is also the time when street performances and events begin. In Kyoto, the Obon festival is celebrated with grand activities like the Odori dance and the Daimonji, where large bonfires are lit on the mountainside, attracting locals and tourists to participate and experience the festivities.
Some activities:
- Odori Dance: people wear yukata (lightweight cotton kimono) and gather at community centers or various open spaces to participate in this joyful dance.
- Toro Nagashi: On the evening of August 15th, numerous communities hold ceremonies called "Toro Nagashi," during which they release small paper lanterns onto rivers or seas, guiding the spirits back to the afterlife.
On August 16th: This is the last day of the festival, dedicated to bidding farewell to the spirits. On this day, the Japanese people will light the "Farewell Fire" at the exact spot where the "Welcoming Fire" was lit, to illuminate the path for the spirits to return to the other world.
If you are in Japan during this time, make sure to experience this traditional festival!
📷: kenta141; andrealippi_fotografia; lu_chanjp; tanukiexpress
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