Most of the Japanese population is Buddhist, making their rituals part of the national tradition. One of the most widespread customs is Obon, known as the day of all souls. In Brazil the festival usually takes place under the name of Bon Odori, as the festival focuses a lot on dance.
Obon can also be just called good or Urabon, which is derived from Avalambana in Sanskrit (day of all souls). An event similar to All Souls' Day, but with an atmosphere of joyful dancing and gratitude.
This festival takes place on different dates depending on the region of the country, the most common being in August (summer season). This variation between three dates occurs from the arrival of the Gregorian calendar at the beginning of the Meiji era.
The commemoration based on the solar calendar comes into existence in eastern Japan on July 15th. August 15th is the most celebrated date in the country and is based on the lunar calendar in the Kanto region. And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, which annually changes the date, the commemoration of the northern part of the Kanto region takes place.
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RITUALS OF THE OBON FESTIVAL
The festival was created to honor the ancestors, so it is very common for people to receive work permits or organize a vacation for these three days of celebration. During this period everyone returns to their hometowns for the festival.
A lot of preparations are needed. Graves need to be cleaned and offerings (food, drink, flowers) to the ancestors are placed on altars. Everything is carried out with great care and attention, as it is believed that the ancestors come from the world of the dead especially so that they can gather with the family in this period of fraternization.
There are a number of rituals that are part of Obon. It all starts on the first day, when lanterns are lit inside the houses to help the family bring the ancestors from the grave to the residence. On the last day, lanterns are painted with the family coat of arms to guide the ancestors to the tombs. All this with a lot of incense in cemeteries, as well as in Japanese homes. The fire marks the beginning and end of the festival.
During these three days there are other events. One of them is the ritual of floating lanterns (Tooro Nagashi), which takes place with handmade lanterns, with a candle illuminating its interior. These are placed in a river to be taken to the ocean and represent the souls of the ancestors.
The Bon Odori Dance
Bon Odori (typical dance) takes place at night to the sound of drums in shrines, temples and parks. This dance is performed in order to symbolize both the reception and the celebration of the living with the dead through dance.
It varies from region to region, each one has a different style of dance and music. The way the dance is performed also differs, typically it is performed with people in a circle around the yagura (bandstand of musicians and singers of Obon music).
They can also rotate around the yagura clockwise or counterclockwise, sometimes they face the yagura and walk away from it, or they dance in a straight line through the city streets. The dance choreography is different in each region, as is its meaning.
For example in a mining region there may be movements symbolizing digging ore, loading and pushing full ore carts. And each dance has an object that is used by the participants, for example, hats decorated with flowers, towels or small wooden clappers. As the festival takes place in the summer, participants wear yucata, light cotton kimonos.
It takes place at night to the sound of drums in shrines, temples and parks. This dance is performed in order to symbolize both the reception and the celebration of the living with the dead through dance. It varies from region to region, each one has a different style of dance and music.
The way the dance is performed also differs, typically it is performed with people in a circle around the yagura (bandstand of musicians and singers of Obon music). the yagura and move away from it, or even dance in a straight line through the city streets.
The dance choreography is different in each region, as is its meaning. For example in a mining region there may be movements symbolizing digging ore, loading and pushing carts full of ore. And each dance has an object that is used by the participants, exemplifying hats decorated with flowers, towels or small wooden clappers. As the festival takes place in the summer, participants wear yucata, light cotton kimonos.
Emergence of the OBON FESTIVAL
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy created from the teachings of Buddha, who lived in northern India. It spread from India to Central Asia and then to China, Korea and Japan. For this reason, scriptures and doctrines were mostly developed in Pali and Sanskrit, literary languages linked to ancient India.
This is why a Japanese festival derives from an Indian sutra, the Avalambana-sutra (Urabon-kyo in Japanese). It tells the story of a disciple of the Buddha who uses his supernatural powers to identify where his dead mother is. Discovers that she is in the realm of hungry ghosts suffering a lot.
Then he asks the Buddha how he can get his mother out of there, who directs him to make offerings to Buddhist monks who had completed their summer retreat on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. He accomplishes the task and manages to free his mother from hell.
He reflects on his mother's life and realizes all her selflessness and sacrifices made for him. As he was overjoyed at his mother's release and grateful for her kindness, so he dances for joy. Thus was born Bon Odori, in which the ancestors and their sacrifices are remembered and celebrated.
