Obon Season

Throughout July and August, Obon services and dances are held at Buddhist temples around Hawaii.  I often forget that we are supposed to go, but of course Mom doesn't.

We went last Thursday evening.  It was fun bumping into a cousin I hadn't seen in a very long time.

We were seated in the back pew where my cousin said it was coolest by the open door.  She was right, but I couldn't hear Reverend Ishii very clearly when he gave his sermon.  He told us that Obon is a happy time when people go back home to be together again with their families along with departed ancestors and loved ones who return from the spirit world at this time.  Buddhists also don't eat any creature who was once alive because they are also returning from the spirit world and deserve to be respected.  When he was a child, Reverend Ishii said his mother told him he couldn't go fishing either.

After the days of Obon, there is often a Toro Nagashi where lanterns are set afloat on rivers to send the ancestors and loved ones back to their spirit world.  I've been to a Toro Nagashi at Haleiwa Beach and it was a very moving experience to see hundreds of lanterns with messages for that special loved one floating away on the waves.

Reverend Ishii also said this was an important time to remember and honor those parents, grandparents, great-grandparents who had walked the path ahead of us and tried to make life easier for those that followed.

I felt great that I'd already done that by writing those blog posts about my grandparents.  I do remember them and feel a great sense of gratitude for all they endured and taught us.

What I really loved about Obon when I was growing up was the teriyaki barbecue sticks and shave ice that were sold at the booths during the Bon Dance. I should tell Art that we should go and have some shave ice... just to honor the occasion, of course.

Obon in Hawaii

Art and I went to a Bon Dance tonight.  We went to pick up a happi coat for our granddaughter, KC since she'd outgrown the one Tif bought her two years ago when she was in Hawaii at the Okinawan Festival.

I got this explanation of Obon from Wikipedia:

"Obon or just Bon (盆) 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. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori."

Odori means dance.  I've always loved the excitement and happiness of the Obon season.  As a child I used to go to the Buddhist temple with friends several weeks before the Bon Dance was scheduled to take lessons.   I haven't danced in over 40 years and I'm afraid to try it again.  However, I remember the fun and joy of it.

Obon was important to my mother for the religious part of honoring our ancestors.  Obon for me was .... forgive me... teriyaki sticks, shave ice, rice balls, craft stalls, sushi, dressing up in pretty kimonos and dancing.

Seeing the lights tonight and all the people gathered around the tower (where the musicians and singers performed) made me remember the joy of it all.  Disappointingly, we didn't find a happi coat for KC.  However, every week in Hawaii there's another Obon Dance somewhere on the island.  We'll try to attend another one to see if anybody is selling happi coats.  Maybe they'll have teriyaki sticks and shave ice too?

UPDATE on Amazon:  Remember that problem we had with Amazon? I couldn't believe how quickly we got the replacement mug.  We received the mug just a day after I wrote to them!  It still wasn't packed well, but it was in good shape this time.

I did get a message again saying that because I chose the replacement mug, there will be no refund.  Oh well... at least the mug is replaced although the three metal cans of chocolate he sent were also horribly dented.   It's a shame because they could have been decorative and reused.  So the final on this is that it was great they replaced the mug, but the customer service is OK... not great.... just OK.

UPDATE 2 on Amazon:  Would you believe I got another message from Amazon saying they would give a refund on the dented chocolate set after all?
OK... the final review of their Customer Service is GREAT!  Although... I'll wait to see if my son's account really is credited as they say it will be.

Buddhist Ancestor Worship?

I've always been disturbed by the term ancestor worship to describe the honoring and remembering of those who passed before us.

Why would you call it ancestor worship?  It makes it sound like Buddhists are elevating their loved ones to the status of gods.  That's ridiculous!

 And yet that's how I've heard and seen Buddhism described.

It's a put down, isn't it?  It's used to make Buddhism sound heathenistic, uncivilized, pagan, scary?

That's not how I was raised to believe.

We have a family altar at our house.  That's another custom that was used to try to illustrate the supposed belief in ancestor worship.  It really disturbs me to know people think of Buddhism that way.

My mother prays at the altar every morning to honor, not worship people she has loved and lost.  She humbly sends her gratitude to the next world.  She does believe that there is a next world where people she loved are waiting for her.

She also feels we need to visit graves at special times of the year to offer flowers and send our prayers of remembrance.  She doesn't want us to forget those who went before us because they paved the way.  We need to learn from their trials and make the way easier for those who will follow us.

It is the Obon season now which is why we were at the grave site yesterday and temple tonight.  We are remembering loved ones and honoring their memory.

This is a good thing.  It's not ancestor worship.

Bon Dance and Wedding Memories

We went to the Obon Dance Festival last night at the main Soto Mission temple in Nuuanu. Tif loves the excitement,color and food of the Obon Festivals. This is the 3rd one we've been to in the last few weeks.

I found this explanation in Wikipedia:

Obon (お盆) or just Bon (盆), also referred to as "Day of the Dead," 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.


Art and I were married in this temple 36 years ago. This is the first time we've been back to the temple since our wedding day.


I could remember walking down this aisle.


I remembered saying our vows here. KC was curious about everything but she really was just waiting for one of her favorite treats that she knew was served at Obon Festivals.


The reception hall was in the basement of the temple. And yes, it was still there looking just as it did so long ago. We'd hired a band to play on that stage and a buffet table was set up to feed our 225 guests. Would you believe our entire wedding cost us about $1,200?


At last... Tif found the food stand where sushi was being sold. KC could hardly wait.


Tif said it was awesome to be at the temple in the place where her parents were wed and the saga of our lives together began.

Saturday Obon Festival

I can't believe I forgot to post these photos.

I was stuck at home with a badly queasy stomach so Art, Tif and KC had to go to the Obon Festival without me. However, Tif took her little compact camera and took these photos for me.

The Obon is a Buddhist Festival to celebrate a day when souls of those who have passed on return to visit their relatives. After the services everyone dresses in their kimonos to dance around a tower where someone sings and you can also hear some taiko drums. My mom's very good friend passed away this year so she especially wanted to be there to offer flowers and prayers to her.



19 month old KC loved being there and enjoying all the sights, sounds, smells and tastes. Tif says it looks deserted but actually there was a huge crowd. Most of the people were still in the temple for services. Tif, Art and KC stayed outside because the temple is not air conditioned and KC would have been miserable...not to mention Tif and Art. My mom prefers warmth to the cold so she was fine.



Tif said this friendly little girl kept coming up to KC and trying to communicate with her.



I hate to say it but I suspect more people come for the food and dancing than for the services.