Jeepney Press/Alma Fatagani-Sato

O-bon Festival (The Festival of the Dead)

By: Alma Fatagani-Sato

O-bon (��) or Bon (�) Festival is a Japanese Buddhist summer festival celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and usually includes a dance performed at night, called the Bon Odori (���). It is also a time wherein people return to their hometown to gather and celebrate with other family members. It is actually a very lively and joyous festival filled with dancing, street food, and many other things.

During the Meiji Era, the Lunar calendar was changed to the Gregorian calendar which resulted in different times of O-bon:

• Shichigatsu Bon – celebrated around July 15th, in Kanto region (such as Tokyo, Yokohama) and Tohoku region, and occurs simultaneously with the O-chugen, which is giving summer gifts to their superiors and acquaintances.

• Hachigatsu Bon – celebrated around August 15th, and the most commonly celebrated time.

• Kyuu Bon – celebrated between August 8th and September 7th, in areas such as the northern part of the Kanto region, Chuugoku, Shikoku and Okinawa. The date of celebration usually differs every year since it is based on the Lunar calendar.

It is believed that during the O-bon, all the spirits come back to visit their families. O-bon Festival is mainly a summer event honoring the spirits of ancestors by cleaning their graves and leaving a variety of food offerings at the Buddhist altars.

Fish and meat should be avoided for the offering. But, if possible, should include cucumbers shaped into horses and eggplants shaped into cows, which act as some kind of transportation for the spirits to comeback and return.

Near the places where people dance the Bon Odori, many stalls on the streets sell variety of foods like Takoyaki (breaded octopus balls with sauce, dried seaweed and sometimes may include mayonnaise), Yakisoba (Japanese fried noodles), Yakitori (chicken skewers), Okonomiyaki (Japanese savory pancakes), and many other stuff to refresh your body from the summer heat.

There are also games and entertainment for very young children to enjoy.

Young and old, men and women gather at the nearby Bon Odori venues, wearing the Yukata (a light, casual cotton kimono worn only at summer festivals) to perform the O-bon dances. There are many varieties of Bon dance depending on the region. Some use different kinds of fans, small wooden clappers, or use small towels with colorful designs. The dance step also varies.

Although this festival is not a public holiday, most companies close down to give their employees some time to honor their ancestors.

Alma Fatagani-Sato

Jeepney Press