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The Obon Festival in Japan usually initiates on August 13th and terminates on August 16th. It is a traditional Buddhist event and one of the most important gothic festivals celebrated by the Japanese people throughout the world. The period of Obon is chosen for praying with respect to the ataraxis of ones ancestors. The common Japanese people are of the belief that the holy spirits of their ancestors do get back to this planet and can be reunited during the course of this festival.
Soon after the onset of this Obon Festival, people are known to hang lanterns in the front portions of their houses for their ancestral spirits to trace their respective houses. Even the Obon dances (also known as the bon-odori) are performed. Japanese people are also known to visit the graves of their ancestors during the tenure of this Obon festival and make food offerings in their names at house altars and temples.
The Obon week that tentatively falls in the mid august is considered to be one of the most important holidays in Japan. On the first day of this festival (i.e. on the 13th of August), people are found to lit chouchins inside their houses and visit the graves of their ancestors, in an attempt to call them back home. However, on the last day of this festival (i.e. on the 16th of August), people bring back the holy spirits of their ancestors to Ohaka with the help of painted chochins, as an attempt to guide these holy spirits back to their original destination. In some parts of Japan, special fires by the name of okuribi are lit at the entrance of ones household to send the spirits of the ancestors back, on the last day of this festival. As a result of this, the air inside the houses and the burial ground are often found to be full of smoke and odour of incense by the name of senko.
Scroll down the pages of to know more about all other important festive occasions of Japan.
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