Earlier this month, Japanese Buddhists and Japanese Americans across the United States celebrated the Obon Festival, a traditional three-day festival considered one of Japan's three major holidays, following the celebrations New Year and Golden Week. During Obon, people honor their ancestors, who are believed to return to the world of the living to visit their still-living relatives.
In Japan, the Obon festival dates back 500 years. It is generally celebrated from August 13 to 16. However, differences between the lunar and solar calendars cause Obon to be celebrated a month earlier in countries like the United States, usually in mid-July. This year, many Buddhist communities held their Obon festivities over the weekend of July 20-21.
In Japan, participants hang lanterns in front of their homes to guide the spirits of their ancestors, perform good smell and Japanese folk dances, listen to the art of Japanese percussion (taiko), and visit the graves of their ancestors to clean them, or make offerings of food on their domestic altars. At the end of the Obon, floating lanterns are released into rivers or other bodies of water to guide the spirits to the world of the dead.
Festivities in the United States reflect this colorful mosaic of celebrations in Obon's home country. For example, the Mountain View Buddhist Temple, affiliated with Jodo Shinshu, held its 69th annual Obon Festival and Bazaar during the weekend of July 20-21. Shaved ice treats, vendor booths offering Japanese arts and crafts, play tents and a plant nursery were among the highlights for visitors. In the United States, Obon offers families the opportunity to enjoy classic Japanese and American dishes, and the food hall at the Mountain View Buddhist Temple was no exception. (Mountain View Voice)
The Santa Barbara Buddhist Church held an Obon tea ceremony demonstration, and many temples involved, including the West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple and the Ogden Buddhist Church, held their annual ceremony good smell Traditional dance, which honors those who have died long ago and recently, by looking back on their lives and cherishing the memories created. To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Buddhist Churches in America, Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple also collaborated with Bonbu Stories, an Asian American arts and music group dedicated to using music as a medium from telling raw stories and creating connections, to performing an internal lantern song to commemorate the occasion. In Hawaii, meanwhile, good smell Balls have been planned since June, and more than a dozen will take place through the end of August.
The Buddhist importance of Obon becomes apparent when we consider that the original story, which involves the afterlife and a descent into the underworld, came from India. Obon is closely related to Kshitigarbha, or Jizo in Japan, who displays his powerful supernatural powers to contact his mother, who, much to his horror, landed in the realm of hungry ghosts after her death. After seeking advice from the Buddha, Jizo manages to save his mother by preparing offerings of food and lanterns to the sangha, the Buddhist community.
Freeing Jizo's mother's spirit and satisfying the endless hunger of hungry ghosts is a common theme during Obon that provokes contemplation and compassion despite the cheerful tone. Themes of gratitude are highlighted in messages from Buddhist leaders, such as Toby Yoshida of the Ogden Buddhist Church, who said:
You would think that all the people in Obon are Buddhist, but at most half of them are… My cousin is Catholic, and many people are Mormons (Latter-day Saints). Everyone does the same thing and we don't say, "Okay, you can't do that because it's not culturally or religiously appropriate." » If you want to participate, you are welcome. Buddhism is more of a lifestyle. Buddhists believe that you are simply part of a common good. It is difficult to judge when the main theme is compassion.
(ksl.com)
See more
The VHBT Obon Festival will take place from July 20 to 21 (The Rafu Shimpo)
'The main theme is compassion': Ogden Buddhist Church holds annual Obon Festival (ksl.com)
Post-pandemic Obon festivals bring Japanese culture, food and celebration to communities (Daily Nexus)
O'ahu Bon Dance Schedule 2024 (Honolulu Magazine)
Related news articles from BDG
Buddhist temple in Hawaii celebrates 125 years of service
Obon Buddhist Festival returns to Southern California after COVID absence
BDG Related Features
Bon Odori: A dance with the ancestors
The article Buddhist temples and Japanese Americans across the US celebrate the Obon festival appeared first on Buddhist News Global.
Français
Français
English