Japan: Holidays & Celebrations
[o-shogatsu] [seijin-no-hi] [o-bon] [tsukimi] [taiku-no-hi] [omisoka]
[List of Holidays] [Map] [Reading List]
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AUGUST 15
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"We invited an obo-san (Buddhist priest) and asked him to pray for our dead ancestors whose souls lived at the butsudan (a miniature shrine displayed at the home). While we all sat on the floor behind him, he prayed for a long time (more than a hour) with very difficult words, not understood by ordinary people. During that time, we kids were told to be quiet and listen to him. I remember that after the long prayer, I could not stand up or walk since my legs had lost their feeling because of the long time that we had to sit formally on the floor.
"After the prayer, the obo-san sat with all of us to eat sushi; the adults also drank sake. Obo-san told us that the souls of the dead people came back to their own homes at o-bon season, and we should celebrate the reunion and enjoy time with them-eating and drinking, and chatting about the dead people. I did not believe the story, but it was believed by older people.
"After the lunch, as the obo-san dispatched to the next house (he was busy on this day), we all went to the ancestors' tomb located near a shrine. We took a bunch of flowers, sake, a bucket of water, and senko (incense sticks). We prayed at the tomb again after we cleaned the tomb with water, decorated it with flowers, senko, and sake. It was then that my grandparents talked to us about the ancestors and their dead brother who was killed in the second World War.
"It was after those ceremonies that we kids started to enjoy ourselves. While the adults were talking over sake and sushi, my cousins and I went to the nearby shrine where bon-odori (bon festival dances) were being held at night. We danced, ate at the temporarily-built shops, played games, and enjoyed fireworks. Finally, we came back to the house and joined the adults who were eating watermelons and snacks. Then, we crawled onto the futon with our grandfather at our side and listened to his terrifying tales about ghosts. The night was usually very hot and humid with many mosquitoes."
[List of Holidays] [Map] [Reading List]
PRODUCED BY INDIANA UNIVERSITY:
East Asian Studies Center
ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education
National Clearinghouse for U.S.-Japan Studies