Festival dance
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–Confucian custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon Odori.
The festival of Obon lasts for three days; however, its starting date varies within different regions of Japan. When the lunar calendar was changed to the Gregorian calendar at the beginning of the Meiji era, the localities in Japan responded differently, which resulted in three different times of Obon. Shichigatsu Bon (Bon in July - the seventh month) is based on the solar calendar and is celebrated around the 15th of July in eastern Japan (Kantō region such as Tokyo, Yokohama and the Tōhoku region), coinciding with Chūgen. Hachigatsu Bon (Bon in August - the eight month), based on the lunar calendar, is celebrated around the 15th of August and is the most commonly celebrated time. Kyū Bon (Old Bon) is celebrated on the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, and so differs each year, which appears between August 8 and September 7. Exceptions occurred in 2008 and 2019, when the solar and lunar calendar matched, and so Hachigatsu Bon and Kyū Bon were celebrated on the same day. Kyū Bon is celebrated in areas such as the northern part of the Kantō region, Chūgoku region, Shikoku, and Okinawa Prefecture. These three festival days are not listed as public holidays, but it is customary for people to be given leave.
Obon inUnited States and Canada
Bon festivals are also celebrated in North America, particularly by Japanese-Americans or Japanese-Canadians affiliated with Buddhist temples and organizations. Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) temples in the U.S. typically celebrate Bon Festival with both religious Obon observances and traditional Bon Odori dancing around a yagura. Many temples also concurrently hold a cultural and food bazaar providing a variety of cuisine and art, also to display features of Japanese culture and Japanese-American history. Performances of taiko by both amateur and professional groups have recently become a popular feature of Bon Odori festivals. Bon festivals are usually scheduled anytime between July and September.
Bon Odori melodies are also similar to those in Japan; for example, the dance Tankō Bushi (Coal mining dance) from Kyushu is also performed in the U.S. In California, due to the diffusion of Japanese immigration, Bon Odori dances also differ from Northern to Southern California, and some are influenced by American culture, such as "Baseball Ondo".
The "Bon season" is an important part of the present-day culture and life of Hawaii. It was brought there by plantation workers from Japan, and now, the Bon dance events are held on weekend evenings from June to August on the five major islands (Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and Hawaii). They are usually held at Buddhist missions, but sometimes at Shintoist missions or at shopping centers. At some Buddhist missions, the dance is preceded by a simple ritual where the families of the deceased in the past year burn incense for remembrance, but otherwise, the event is non-religious. The songs played differ among the regions - one or two-hour Bon dance in the Western part of the Big Island (in and around Kailua Kona), for example, typically starts with Tankō Bushi, and continues with songs such as Kawachi Otoko Bushi (using wooden clappers), Yukata Odori (using tenugui given at the donation desk), Asatoya Yunta and Ashibina from Okinawa Prefecture (reflecting the fact that many Okinawan descendants live in Hawaii), Pokémon Ondo for children, zumba songs for the young, Beautiful Sunday, etc., and ends with Fukushima Ondo, celebrating the abundant harvest. The participants, Japanese descendants and the people of all races, dance in a big circle around the yagura, the central tower set up for the dance, from which recorded songs are broadcast and, most of the time, the taiko group accompany the songs playing drums. In larger cities, Bon dance lessons are given by volunteers before the actual events.
Some Japanese museums may also hold Obon festivals, such as the Morikami Museum in Florida.
In St. Louis, Missouri, the Botanical Garden has hosted a Bon festival over Labor Day weekend every year since 1977. Known as the Japanese festival, it is a collaboration with several Japanese-American organizations and hosts thousands of people over a three-day period. The festival provides authentic Japanese music, art, dance, food, and entertainment, including dancing around a yagura, sumo wrestling, taiko drums, bonsai demonstrations, music played on traditional instruments, several bazaars, food courts with authentic Japanese foods, tea ceremonies, candlelit lanterns released on the lake in the gardens Japanese garden and much more.
- More information is available at [ Wikipedia:Festival_dance ]
| Articles related to: Dance and/or Competitive dance |
|---|
|
|
|
External links
- Shuei-Do Manju (confectionary) shop in San Jose, CA
- List All Japanese Obon Festivals & Bon Odori Practices – Schedule
- Bon Dance: Description of various Bon Dance styles and resources. (archived 17 December 2009)
- Obon Festival in Japan https://web.archive.org/web/20120204120015/http://gojapan.about.com/cs/japanesefestivals/a/obonfestival.htm Date: 2012-02-04
- Photo Gallery of Bon Odori 2007 in Penang, Malaysia
- El Bon Odori de La Plata en Argentina
A Personal Note from Robin
I have been to Shuei-Do Manju shop (established 1953) in San Jose, California.
They are open Thursday through Sunday and it is in the center of Japan town
Chat rooms • What links here • Copyright info • Contact information • Category:Root