The Obon Festival, also known as the “Ullambana Festival,” was introduced to Japan from China during the Sui and Tang Dynasties and became intertwined with Japanese local customs. Today, it is a unique and major celebration in Japan, second only to New Year as the most important traditional festival.
Originally, Obon was celebrated on July 15th each year. However, since the Meiji government reformed the calendar from the lunar to the Gregorian system, Obon has been observed around August 15th. Some regions still adhere to the old calendar and celebrate Obon around July 15th.
The Obon Festival embodies the Buddhist principle of “equality of all beings” and serves as an important occasion for modern people to connect the “sacred” and the “secular,” blending “festivity” and “daily life.”
As Obon coincides with the summer vacation, and many companies give time off during this period, most Japanese people use this time for family reunions and ancestral worship. Therefore, in addition to visiting graves and paying respects to ancestors, Obon has also become a time for family visits and traveling.
1. Traditional Activities of the Obon Festival
Setting Up the Buddhist Altar
Before the ritual begins, families set up a Buddhist altar and prepare offerings. They decorate the altar with lanterns and create figures of cows and horses from cucumbers and eggplants. The cucumber figures, called “spirit horses”, symbolize the desire for ancestors to quickly return to the human world. The eggplant figures, called “spirit cows”, represent the hope that ancestors will take their time leaving, carrying offerings back to the other world.
Gozan no Okuribi (Five Mountains Fire Festival)
During Obon, Kyoto hosts a grand traditional event known as Gozan no Okuribi or Daimonji. Huge bonfires are lit on the slopes of the mountains surrounding Kyoto, forming giant characters.
The lights in the streets are dimmed, and the fires are lit in a specific order from east to west: “大” (Dai), “妙法” (Myoho), “船形” (Funagata), “左大” (Hidari Daimonji), and “鳥居形” (Torii-gata). Each character measures between 50 to 200 meters wide, and the spectacle is visible from various parts of Kyoto. Starting at 8 PM, the illuminated characters light up the night sky, painting a vivid picture of Kyoto’s summer.
The origins of Gozan no Okuribi are varied. One popular belief is that it started when the Pure Land Temple at the base of Daimonji Mountain faced an epidemic. The Buddhist monk Kobo Daishi performed rituals and set up 75 protective fire altars arranged in the shape of the character “大” (Dai), which evolved into today’s famous Daimonji bonfires.
Bon Odori
To pray for the deceased ancestors, people of all ages gather together on the second night of the Obon Festival to sing and dance. They mimic the joyous dancing of spirits who are free from suffering in hell, and this is known as Bon Odori. The dance is categorized into traditional Obon dances and the folk dances that developed after the war.
Countless Bon Odori events are held throughout Japan every year, with the “Tsukiji Hongwanji Summer Evening Bon Odori Festival” in Tokyo being one of the most historically significant.
Toro Nagashi (Floating Lanterns)
On the nights of Obon, various regions in Japan hold Toro Nagashi events, where lanterns are set afloat on rivers.
As Obon draws to a close and ancestors are believed to be returning to the Pure Land, these lanterns guide them back across the waters, carrying the family’s thoughts and prayers.
In Kyushu, in addition to the annual lantern floating in Nagasaki Prefecture, parts of Kumamoto Prefecture and Saga City also host lantern floating events during Obon.
2. The Origins of Obon
According to the “Ullambana Sutra”, the disciple Moggallana used his spiritual powers to see that his mother had fallen into the realm of hungry ghosts, suffering immensely. Moggallana attempted to offer her food, but it turned into flames due to her past evil deeds.
Seeking to rescue his mother, Moggallana asked the Buddha for guidance. The Buddha instructed him to make offerings to the many Buddhist monks who had just completed their summer retreat on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. Moggallana did this and, thus, saw his mother’s release. He also began to see the true nature of her past selflessness and the sacrifices she had made for him during her lifetime. The disciple, happy because of his mother’s release from suffering and grateful for her many kindnesses, danced with joy. From this dance of joy comes the Bon Odori, a time during which ancestors and their sacrifices are remembered and appreciated.
