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Jul 17, 2018 · Obon is a summer event during which people welcome the spirits of their ancestors back home. Often held on and around July 15 of the old lunar calendar, Obon is now generally observed during the four days between August 13 and 16. Obon is considered Japan’s most significant occasion next to New Year’s, and most companies close down ...
- When Is Obon 2025?
- What Is Obon?
- What Are Some Popular Traditions of The Obon Festival?
- How Do The Japanese Celebrate Obon? - Daily Activities
- Things You Should Not Do During Obon Festival
- The Origins of The Obon Festival
- Japan's Obon Festival vs China's Ghost Festival
- Obon Festival Foods
- Top Places to Visit During Obon
- Traveling in Japan During Obon
In Japan, Obon 2025 is observed fromAugust 13 to 15. Traditionally, Obon was celebrated in most regions of Japan from the 13th-15th of August. However, in some other regions like Okinawa, Tohoku Region, and Aomori Prefecture, the festival is celebrated in July. Obon is a traditional festival and not an official holiday in Japan, but it is customary...
Obon is a yearly festival that is celebrated to remember and cherish one's ancestors. During this time, it is believed that all spirits return back to Earth and most families will leave offerings for their ancestor's spirits orhang lanterns to lead them home. This festival is often compared to Mexico's Day of the Dead and China's Hungry Ghost Festi...
1. Sweeping Graves and Offering Sacrifices
People return to their hometowns from the cities and visit the graves of their ancestors to offer sacrifices, such as flowers and fruits. The most distinctive offeringsare cucumbers and eggplants made into the shapes of horses and cows respectively. They are known as spirit mounts for the ancestors. The horse is fast, and the ox is slow. Therefore, when the first day of calling the spirits home comes, people offer cucumber horses, and when the last day of guiding the spirits back to their res...
2. Bon Odori
Bon Odori, or the Bon dance, is a style of dancing performed during Obon in the night. In the middle of a square is a platform on which, usually, someone leads a song and the participants dance around it to the beat of Japanese taiko drums. Participants traditionally wear yukatas, a kind of light cotton kimono.
3. Having Vegetarian Meals
During the festival, people eat vegetarian food for three meals a day. There are also special requirements for the offeringsat the Obon altar. Fish and meat are avoided. Food should be prepared to be directly edible. For example, grapes need to be washed and put in a bowl, and apples or pears need to be peeled and placed on a table.
Obon is a time to be with family and celebrate loved ones. Many Japanese people return to their ancestral homes during this festival and because it is not a public holiday, most will take time off work. The most important part of the celebrations is honoring ancestors by leaving a variety of food offerings for them at Buddhist altars. Before Obon b...
Do not hang wind chimes at the head of the bed — it is said that if there is a noise, it will bring bad things.Don't hang your clothes out at night — strange ghosts may take your clothes to wear.Don't stay outside too long. In Japan, there is a saying that during the festival, ghosts will walk on the streets. If you come back too late, you will meet them and be abducted.Don't steal the offerings.The Obon Festival originates from the Buddhist storyof Maha Maudgalyayana (Mokuren), a disciple of the Buddha. He used his supernatural powers to look upon his deceased mother only to discover she had fallen into the Realm of Hungry Ghosts and was suffering. He tired using his powers to feed food into his mother's mouth, only to see the food just f...
Japan's Obon is similar to China's Ghost Festival(Zhongyuan Festival). They have many similarities. They have similar taboos; they are both traditional festivals; they are both related to death… However, there are some differences between Obon and China's Ghost Festival.
Obon is one of the biggest summer festivals in Japan and is a great time for street food so its a great time to visit for adventurous eaters especially because the country has surprisingly little street food available in cities during normal times. Some of the top foods to try at street food stalls during Obon include Takoyaki (breaded octopus topp...
If you are planning to visit Japan in July, then you can see the Obon celebrations in some areas of Tokyo and also in Okinawa. If you plan on visiting in August, then some of the best Obon celebrations to see include Awa Odori in Tokushima and Tokyo, the Daimonji Gozan Okuribi Fire Festival in Kyoto, the Hokkai Bon Odori in Hokkaido, and the Nagasa...
One important thing to note when visiting Japan during Obon is that along with New Year and Golden Week, this is the busiest travel time of the year with plenty of domestic and international travel occurring at the same time. It's likely that hotel prices will be higher than normal during Obon and it will be necessary to book all tickets and rooms ...
The Obon week in mid August is one of Japan's three major holiday seasons (alongside New Year and Golden Week), accompanied by intensive domestic and international travel activities and increased accommodation rates. In recent years, travel activitiy in mid August has become somewhat more spread out and less concentrated, but it is still considerable on certain days.
Culture of Japan. Obon (お盆) or just Bon (盆) is a fusion of the ancient Japanese belief in ancestral spirits and a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves ...
Jun 25, 2024 · Obon Festival Guide: Meaning, traditions and dates. June 25, 2024. Travel Guides. The Obon festival (お盆, also known as Bon festival) is an annual Japanese holiday that commemorates and remembers deceased ancestors. It is believed that their spirits return at this time to visit their relatives. Chochin (paper) lanterns are hung to guide the ...
Aug 11, 2020 · On August 16, the last day of Obon larger fires are started to help the spirits leave our world, called okuribi. This day is considered the peak of Obon. The most famous okuribi (pictured above) takes place in Kyoto. Its name comes from the five lines of bonfires that are lit in the mountains.
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Aug 9, 2024 · Obon is a traditional Japanese holiday dedicated to family and loved ones past. It is like a mix between Halloween and North American Thanksgiving. Families who celebrate Obon usually gather in their hometowns, visit gravestones, perform rituals, and attend festivals. But, not every family follows the same customs.
