All About the Obon Festival

The Obon Festival is a Buddhist tradition that has been honoured in Japan for over 500 years. Each year, the festival is celebrated for three days from the 13to the 15of the 7month. However, as the 7solar month is in July, but the 7Lunar month is in August, Obon can be celebrated in different months depending on the region. For the most part though, Obon will be celebrated officially in mid-August.

Otherwise known as the Bon festival, the annual holiday is taken to commemorate and celebrate those who have passed away. It is said that on this date, the spirits of ancestors return to visit their living relatives. A number of different traditions are observed at this time, with food offerings left at temples, Obon dances performed and special paper lanterns hung up to help guide the spirits home.

What is the history of the Obon Festival?

The origins of the festival come from the story of Maha Maudgalyayana, also known as Mokuren. As a disciple of Buddha, Mokuren used his powers to check up on the spirit of his mother, who had passed away. To his dismay, he discovered that his mother was suffering in the Realm of Hungry Ghosts. Turning to Buddha, Mokuren was told to make offerings to Buddhist monks. On the 15day of the 7month, he did just that, allowing his mother to be released from the distressing realm. In celebration, he danced with joy, which can be seen as the origins for the Obon dance.

What are the Main Traditions?

On the first day of the festival, the chochin lanterns will be taken to the graves of family members, and their spirits will be called home using a ritual known as mukae-bon. Some areas of Japan will take this process a step further by lighting a large fire outside their homes, to help guide the spirits.

On the last day of the festival, the ancestors are led back to their graves with more lanterns, in a ritual known as okuri-bon. The exact ritual will be dependent on region, although, in recent years, the process of sending floating lanterns, called toro nagashi, down rivers to the sea to send their ancestors off is continuing to grow in popularity!

One of the main events of the festival will be the Bon Odori, the special traditional dance that is performed to welcome the spirits. The dance style and music used for the performance will depend on the region of Japan. As the festival is celebrated in the heat of summer, most people participating in the festival, and in the dance, will wear a lighter dress, such as a cotton kimono or yukata.

Which foods are enjoyed at the Obon Festival?

With much of the holiday celebrations taking place in public, with visits to the graves and dances in the streets, the food side of the Obon Festival is all about street food vendors. Food stalls will line the streets and chefs will have a lot of work on their hands! As one of the three main national holidays in Japan, and as a celebration of family, Japanese people will travel back to their hometown from around the world to join in the local festivities, meaning that there will be a lot of extra mouths to feed! Plus, all the dancing is bound to work up an appetite!

While there are not really any set foods for the festival, popular street foods such as takoyaki (fried octopus balls), yakisoba (fried noodles) and yakitori (chicken skewers) will be eagerly eaten at the Obon festival celebrations.

If you’d like to take part in your own celebrations, check out the full range of oriental supermarket food we have available online and instore!

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