[Tuesday, July 12, 2005]

The O-Bon, a festival that has its roots in Japanese Buddhist tradition, dates back more than 500 years. Bon means "welcoming ancestors' souls, and holding a memorial service for their departed souls." It is a time for family reunion and gathering, when family members return to their ancestral homes to visit and to clean their ancestors' graves, much like the Qing Bing festival of the Chinese or the Mexican observance of El Dia de los Muertos. It is a holiday season that is characterised by dances (Bon Odori 盆踊り) and rituals to remember and honour their ancestors.

Bon is observed throughout Japan, but it is characterised by regional variations. For example, a Bon Odori in the Ogawa prefecture will be completely different from the one held in the Kanagawa prefecture.The festival is celebrated in July in the eastern part of Japan (Kanto) and August in the western part of Japan (Kansai). In Kanto, the festival begins on 13th July with the Welcoming of Obon and ends on the 16th July with the Farewell Obon.

The origin of the Bon is obscure, but it is often linked to Buddhist folklore. Legend tells of the story of Mokuren, a disciple of Buddha, who had a disturbing vision of his deceased mother wandering in the nether world of the hungry ghosts. Agitated by this vision, filial Moruken asked Buddha for help. Buddha advised him to offer meritorious deeds, for these would lead to the release of his mother's soul from the bonds of suffering. Moruken followed the Buddha's advice, and his mother's spirit was freed; her suffering was brought to an end. With his mother's release, Moruken danced with joy.

The Bon Odori or Bon Dance is like Moruken's dance of joy, a dance of gratitude and remembrance of the love and sacrifice of ancestors. The dance is usually held at night because the Japanese believe that this is when the spirit of their ancestors return. Traditional Japanese music, which should be happy and welcoming, is usually played. Dancers are usually clothed in traditional garb like the yukata or colourful kimono, and wear geta (traditional Japanese sandals) on their feet, in order to maintain the atmosphere and culture of this ancient tradition.


Ref:
Wikipedia
Japan-101 Information Resource
Bonodori.net

Courtesy of : http://japaneseclubsfi.blogspot.com/2005/07/bon-festival.html

posted by Rong Feng@Nelson @ 1:35 PM { | }

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Almost everyone in my university is very excited about this coming Friday. Busy preparing themselves to look their best that very night....Busy planning how to set their hair to look their best....Busy experimenting on makeups or searching for salon to do their makeup....Busy getting their nails cleaned and polished.....Busy wondering what others will be wearing....Busy trying on their final outfits and staring in front of the mirror. Can you guess what is the special occassion that has been keeping everyone so busy for the whole week? Yess.....it is time for another annual dinner and guess what...i am not going (though this is my final year)!! This is crazy, this Friday is the dateline to all my reports and assignments and where on earth can i find time to prepare myself for the annual dinner?? And why do they want to have it in the middle of the semester when we are suppose to be preparing for our exams?? When i was discussing about this with my friends this afternoon, they came out with this idea that, we should all go together in T-shirt and jeans and make ourself as visible and as noisy as possible. Haha....what a great idea. Sad to say that all my classmates wont be going either (by the way, there is only 7 of us in my course). However, whenever my friends (those who are going) asked for my opinion about their dressing, their hairstyle, and their shoes etc...i will somehow feel their excitement inside me. But again, i have to remind myself that i still need to work on my assginment tomorrow which need to be submitted on Friday.....and STOP wondering and dreaming. If only the annual dinner is after exam, you are sure to see me there :(.

posted by mei gie @ 9:14 PM { | }

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Just had my presentation this afternoon. I did not have the time to prepare myself last night but luckily everything went smoothly. I am still struggling with my assginment which is suppose to be submitted this Friday. After this week, i will have two weeks break before my exam starts...which means i am only left with two weeks to prepare myself for four subjects. Sad to say out of the four subjects, only one of them is my favourite. Ask me if i regret taking Engineering course? Nah...too late to regret. Now i will just pray hard that i will be able to do well in my exams and graduate with Honours :). First class Honours?? Nah...dont think i am qualified. Maybe a second upper or lower :(. By the way, i am also not sure if i wanted a job in the Engineering field. Who knows i might be doing something which is totally out of my profession....and seriously, i dont mind. This is the first time i am so lost. I am the kind of person that always have a plan of what to do in the future....but not this time. I think moving from a student life to the working life is pretty scary and i cannot even imagine myself at work. What will my job be and how will i cope with it...i seriously dont know and cannot imagine. Maybe i am just thinking too much and maybe i was just frightened by the feedbacks i got from my friends who are currently working. See, told you not to complain about your work. See how serious i take your words. Anyway, i am an optimistic person and i know eventually i will make it through :). Yeah.....just think POSITIVE.

posted by mei gie @ 6:23 PM { | }

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