O-Bon Odori

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 3:42 pm

Mid-July is O-Bon season!

O-Bon 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.
Symbol ("Daimonji") burning on the hillside:

Bon Odori (dance):

Lanterns floating downstream:

littleflower · Post by **littleflower** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 6:44 pm

dougly ...

what is barbaric about this????

you aren't going civilized on us, are you?

it's only another 7 weeks ....

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Sat Jul 11, 2009 10:07 am

The Japanese are plenty brutal - in a refined way.
For instance, the hillside on which the daimonji is burning is fueled by the bones of Burningman virgins, true story.

Nah, even Dougly needs a break once in a while. It's a nice celebration.

littleflower · Post by **littleflower** » Sat Jul 11, 2009 10:13 am

as long as it's only a temporary glitch...

it looks lovely ... the japanese do have a way with these things ...

Apollonaris Zeus · Post by **Apollonaris Zeus** » Sat Jul 11, 2009 10:16 pm

does it include alcohol

If not, its not a holiday

As I was told as a young person at my first funeral,

"its not for the dead, but for the living"

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Sun Jul 12, 2009 8:26 am

Apollonaris Zeus wrote:does it include alcohol

If not, its not a holiday

As I was told as a young person at my first funeral,

"its not for the dead, but for the living"

It's a holy day.

And yeah, it's for those of us who are still alive.

Post by **AntiM** » Sun Jul 12, 2009 8:36 am

It is Japan, it involves a LOT of alcohol. Mostly beer and sake, with a little VSOP Suntory whiskey thrown in.

Twelve years in Yokosuka, I love Bon Odori. The burning hillside is down in Kyoto, yes, I've seen it, but the local celebrations are best. Every neighborhood has the dances, even on the Navy bases. I can do a mean Yam Digger.

As a holiday, Bon Odori is not so much a single day as a season. The fireworks are mind-boggling.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Sun Jul 12, 2009 9:02 am

In some parts of Japan, it's July 15, and in others, it's August 15. It all has to do with whether they follow the old calendar or the old.

In the Bay Area, it's a movable feast so to speak, because there are only so many chidori bands to go around.

The Daimonji burning on the hillside is not chosen because "dai" or "great" signifies anything. It resembles a giant figure of a human, burning. Weird.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 12:45 pm

Those are barrels of sake that they're carrying:
[youtube][/youtube]

C.f.M. · Post by **C.f.M.** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 12:52 pm

Mmmm...sake...I love sake. That reminds me, I need to get some for Transformus.

I started doing Day of the Dead for burn night, my first burn,

and now there's a whole posse of us.

I make sangria, another favourite up there behind sake and #1 mead.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 1:09 pm

Are these pictures before the sangria or after.

"Mead". Ygmir, she said "mead".

You look pale. A couple of days on the playa and you'll pick up some color, you'll see.

Apollonaris Zeus · Post by **Apollonaris Zeus** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 1:34 pm

AntiM wrote:It is Japan, it involves a LOT of alcohol. Mostly beer and sake, with a little VSOP Suntory whiskey thrown in.

Twelve years in Yokosuka, I love Bon Odori. The burning hillside is down in Kyoto, yes, I've seen it, but the local celebrations are best. Every neighborhood has the dances, even on the Navy bases. I can do a mean Yam Digger.

As a holiday, Bon Odori is not so much a single day as a season. The fireworks are mind-boggling.

that's my kind of holiest of holies day!

A toast to the dead!

AIIZ

Oldguy · Post by **Oldguy** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 1:47 pm

Here's to the dead!

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 9:16 pm

It was a beautiful tribute to nihon-no onna! Kirei desu!

Barbie · Post by **Barbie** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 12:06 am

Next Saturday night is the Bon Dance & Lantern Lighting Fest in my neighborhood -
All the hoods here in Hawaii have Bon Dances- We have a LARGE Japanese population. (ya Ever hear the joke that that Japanese lost the war so they bought the islands instead)
The dance is at the church, temple-

and its really a burning man feel-'cause every one is welcome to dance and they (The Elders -who are dressed in cultural fashion) are wonderful about including All and making sure to invite or even drag peeps into the circle- and everyone gets a gift. The people who don't know how to do the dance learn it in the middle and the Pro's dance the outside ring.
Then the drums start- and we all line up with our Lanterns. The Lanterns have the names of the departed. We set them a drift into the bay... and IT IS one of the most amazing sites I have ever seen. (And I go to Burning Man

)
We all bring a dish and have a potluck on the beach and Drink Plenty.

Cheers To the Dead!
It's the highlight of our Summer in our one stop light town! I can't wait TO GO!

pizzamancer · Post by **pizzamancer** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:01 am

Here in Nagasaki, we have the largestShoro nagashi. The major roads throughout the city are closed off and people puch/pull/drag 'boats' with pictures of people who died this year on them to the bay, where they are thrown in a huge container boat and burned at sea.

They used to just light them and toss them in, but that evidently got old very fast.

The whole route is punctuated by huge amounts of fire works and literally billions of fire crackers. The firecracker residue piles up to a food deep down town.

If you are anywhere near Nagasaki, drop me a line. I sat on the chonaikai last year and can get you a spot to participate in the neighborhood shorobune.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 9:10 am

Yeah, the old primal traditions combined with the aloha spirit is a good approximation of the BM way.

Barbie · Post by **Barbie** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 2:45 am

WOW Dance of the dead! The Lanterns were SOOOOOOO Nice tonight! Oh My Gqwd never seen them line up like that! At the end there was 3 for the longest time then only 2 and they were really close to shore the music started again and they turned around and went toward the drums! Sooooooo weeird Bon Dance ! Love all you Spirits! and its a Mission not a Church or Temple...

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 9:38 am

Haleiwa Jodo Mission?

How do they clean up the lanterns afterwards?

Barbie · Post by **Barbie** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 3:07 pm

As the sun rises if you go out to the beach- There are groups of people with snorkels & Masks and they Clean it UP! in Fact they clean up everything on the beach- Our Beach looks its best after the Bon Dance!

And Yes Haleiwa Jodo Misson & that looks as if its a picture from the event! Did you get it off the internet or something? Very COol Thanks for posting It. I had such a great time last night the Lanterns spread out really nicely thur the bay! [/i]