I think this festival is celebrated at different times in various parts of Japan. Here, Obon is being celebrated. We didn't go looking to join in the festivities...but we ran into a small parade. They didn't seem to mind me taking photos.
Wikipedia has this to say about the festival:
Obon (お盆?)
or just Bon (盆?),
also referred to as "Day of the Dead,"[1] is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the
departed (deceased) spirits of one's ancestors. This
Buddhist custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday
during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their
ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the
household altars. Also called the Feast of Lanterns, it has been celebrated in
Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori.
We were celebrating Stacia's birthday today!
Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.
~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...
2 comments:
Be careful.I don't knopw about the Japanese- but in China- it was considered very bad luck to have your photo taken on "day of dead" days. Not for the photographer- but for the one the photo was taken of...
:>)
I wondered...but if you'll notice they are smiling and waving, so I figured it was ok. I held the camera and made a question shrug....and they smiled and waved and the two even stopped and posed. LOL
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