Every Day Is Special: July 13 - Obon – Day of the Souls

July 13 - Obon – Day of the Souls – in Japan

Posted on July 13, 2021

This is an update of my post published on July 13, 2010:

NOTE: Different cities and regions in Japan use different festival calendars, so only some regions celebrate Obon today.

During Obon Japanese Buddhists honor their ancestors in a variety of ways: they return to their ancestral homes, they clean the graves of their ancestors, and they float lit-up paper lanterns down rivers. There is a special Bon dance to show gratitude for the ancestors, and some people make offerings to them.

Of course, some enjoyment-of-the-living traditions have developed, too, including family get-togethers, special food, fireworks, and giant carnivals with rides.

For more info on this holiday, check this website out.

Here is a video of the Bon dance...

...And this tells a little bit more about the lantern-festival part of the holiday.

If you like Manga, you might want to check out this video Manga story.

Catch the Obon spirit.

Look at photos of your ancestors (grandparents, great-grandparents), and revive the old family stories of what they did and how they lived.