Each summer in Japan, there comes a time for ancestors to be honored. It is believed that the ghosts of one’s relativeswill return to the family gravesites and altars. Families gather together, clean the graves, make offerings of food and drink, and take part in centuries-old rituals. This is the tradition of the Bon Festival.
The roots of the Bon Festival can be traced toChina’s Ghost Festival. This is a Buddhist tradition that is meant torelease the dead from any sufferingthey may experience in the afterlife. It is said that a followerof Buddha was told to prepare offerings in order to save his latemother fromsuffering. When he saw that it actually worked, he did a little dance because he was so happy.
That dance is called the Bon Odori and is still practiced today. During the dance, people usually form a circle around a yagura , which is a kind of wooden stage. Folkmusicians get on the stage, and as they play, people will move around them. In some regions, the dancers will act out scenes from dailylife. In Kyushu, where coal miningwas common, dancers would pretendto push cartsand dig into the earth. A ritual fire, Okuribi , then guides the ghosts back to the afterlife.
