Obon

I love my neighbor, Kelly, she is an amazing person - generous, caring, spontaneous, and just as crazy as me about capturing Japanese culture on film (maybe even more crazy than me, but she has the excuse that she's a professional photographer.)  So what does loving Kelly (or Ethel as Stevie calls her, I would be the Lucy of that duo) have to do with Obon?  Well last night as Stevie and I were heading upstairs for bed at 10:45, I heard the singing and drums of an Obon celebration somewhere behind our house off-base and I said, "I want to go find them!"  His response, go ask Ethel (aka Kelly) to go with you.  So I did, and she immediately grabbed her camera and three minutes later we were off to track down the fun!

So what is Obon?  I could write a big long essay on it, but I'll let About.com do it for me (I know, I'm cheating, but I was up late watching those dancers!)  Here's what About has to say...

Obon is one of the most important Japanese traditions. People believe that their ancestors' spirits come back to their homes to be reunited with their family during Obon and pray for the spirits. For the reason, Obon is an important family gathering time, and many people return to their hometowns.

Obon is celebrated on the 15th day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar in Okinawa.

Japanese people clean their houses and place a variety of food offerings such as vegetables and fruits to the spirits of ancestors in front of a butsudan (Buddhist altar). Chochin lanterns [rice paper laterns] and arrangements of flower are usually placed by the butsudan.

On the first day of Obon, chochin lanterns are lit inside houses, and people go to their family's grave to call their ancestors' spirits back home. It's called mukae-bon. In some regions, fires called mukae-bi are lit at the entrances of houses to guide the spirits. On the last day, people bring the ancestor's spirits back to the grave, hanging chochin painted with the family crest to guide the spirits. It's called okuri-bon. In some regions, fires called okuri-bi are lit at entrances of houses to send the ancestors' spirits. During Obon, the smell of senko (Japanese incense sticks) fills Japanese houses and cemeteries.

Toro Nagashi (floating lanterns) is a tradition often observed during Obon. People send off their ancestors' spirits with the lanterns, lit by a candle inside and floated down a river to the ocean. Also, Bon Odori (folk dance) is widely practiced on Obon nights. Styles of dance vary from area to area, but usually Japanese taiko drums keep the rhythms.

This is what Kelly and I saw last night - the Bon Odori.  We followed our ears, and instinct, and found a large group of dancers, some with big taiko drums, some with smaller drums, and then the ladies in back.

They were gathered at a park, but soon headed off down the street in a noisy parade.  In the lead was a rickety cart rigged with a loud speaker and four or five microphones around which the singers, men and women in blue summer kimono and straw hats led the singing. 

This cart was pushed up the steep, winding road as the singers sang and the drummers drummed and the ladies danced.  I have to say, this is a crazy road to drive during broad daylight, but at midnight, with a parade of drummers blocking one side, a stream of spectators walking up the narrow sidewalk on the other side, and the traffic directors for the parade partaking in the "festivities" (think beer), it was down right dangerous.  I was convinced that someone would be attending next year's festivities as the returning spirit, not the live body, but I guess the Japanese think nothing of it and continued as normal.

Most of these pictures are borrowed from Kelly since she had a lens that could take pictures without a flash.  Thank you, Kelly!