BACK TO LIST
LIST OF CONTENTS
Bon odori
Ura bon (or obon) is a major Japanese festival and one which is celebrated between the 13th and 16th of July (in some parts of Japan in August). The purpose of the festival is to perpetuate and observe the memory of the ancestors; at the time of the festival, their spirits are said to return briefly to this world. Obon is a family festival and on the first day visits are made by candlelight to the family graves and prayers are said in front of the family altar. Bon odori (bon dances) were originally a part of the religious rites but towards the end of the Muromachi period (1392-1573) they developed as a form of public recreation and the dances are held on mid-summer days between July and the beginning of September in an atmosphere of great gaiety and festivity. The dances, rather simple in form. are held in a large open space around a central platform and they are enjoyed by young and old alike.