Japanese Culture: O-bon

O-bon, or just Bon, is a religious event where people hold a memorial service to the spirits of their ancestors. It is held around July 15th or August 15th depending on the area, and since I am writing this around the time when festivals begins to sprout, I thought I'd take you along and let you know a bit about it!

O-bon was originally held around July 15th of the lunar calendar. But, since the solar calendar was adopted in Japan, it has been held at August 15th in many areas, because the period around July 15th is the busiest period for farmers. They started to hold the o-bon festival one month later. During this time, a lot of companies and such are closed, for people to be able to visit their hometowns.

During O-bon, which is from the 13th to the 16th, the spirits of the deceased are said to return to their families. What people do for this religious ceremony is different depending on the area. But basically, on the 13th, people visit their ancestors' graves and light lanterns in order to lead the deceased to their home. During the o-bon period, they stay with the spirits of their ancestors until they see them off on the 16th.

Also, Bon Dance Festival is held in many cities and towns. During the festival, people dance around a tower, on top of which a person beats a Japanese drum and plays the dancing song. The Bon Dance was originally a sort of ceremony to hold a memorial service to the spirits of ancestors. Unfortunately, it doesn't have much of a religious meaning anymore... People just enjoy this like any other summer festival.

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