Next: about 13 to 16 Aug 2027
Obon
The midsummer days when the spirits of ancestors are welcomed home with fires, offerings and dancing, then sent back.
About Obon
For several days in mid-August (mid-July in parts of Tokyo and eastern Japan) families believe that the souls of their dead return home. A welcoming fire (mukaebi) is lit at the doorway, lanterns are hung to guide them, and a shrine of vegetables, fruit and rice is set out. In many homes a cucumber made into a horse and an eggplant made into a cow are placed on the altar, one so that the spirit may arrive quickly and the other so that it may leave slowly. The bon odori dances in village squares are meant to console the visiting spirits, and at the end a farewell fire (okuribi) or floating lanterns send them back. The Buddhist framing comes from the Ullambana story, but the folk layer is older.
Entries tied to it
Also part of it, and being written: Obon (The festival and the dance.).
Written by the EveryJaadu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Obon" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family, and are described as belief and practice. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.