Apologies

There will be no post tonight, as I just received word that my dog has passed.

Here are some videos of the Bon Festival, to go along with post from last week:

The Bon Festival

Also known as the festival of Obon, this is a celebration which honors the dead in Japan. It is said that on the three days in which the festival takes place, dead ancestors come back as spirits and visit the homes of their family. It takes place from either July 13-16 or August 13-16, depending on the area. This discrepancy is due to the government switching from the Lunar calendar to the Gregorian calendar during the Meiji Era--a time in which much westernization took place in Japan. (1)

The Bon Festival is practiced according to the teachings of Sâkyamuni Buddha, as preached by the Urabon Sutra. (2) According to the Sutra, a priest by the name of Mokuren found out that his mother who had recently died was suffering in the Realm of the Hungry Ghosts--a state of being in which the spirit is tormented by extreme hunger and thirst. To save her from her suffering, Mokuren was instructed by the Buddha to make offerings to priests who had just returned from their summer retreat. In doing so, his mother is released, and Mokuren dances in joy. This dance is known as Bon Odori and is practiced during the Bon Festival

The festival begins with a welcoming fire, called the mukaebi, as well as the visiting of families to the altars or graves of their loved ones where they light incense and clean. Throughout the three days, the Japanese celebrate--they eat special food, participate in games, and view the bon odori dances. None of the bon odori are the same, with many towns and areas having a dance and music specific to them, often depicting the history or culture of the region. (3) Below is one such bon odori dance:



Finally, the Bon Festival ends with a lighting of lanterns which are sent down rivers. This occurs on the final day, and is called the Toro Nagashi It is believed that by lighting and sending these paper lanterns down rivers, it is leading the ancestor spirits home to the spirit world once more. Along with this lighting of paper lanterns is the ending fire, known as okuribi which is similar to the mukaebi. The toro nagashi can be seen below:



(1) "Bon A-B-C", last modified 2002.
(2) "What is Obon?", Shingon Buddhist International Institute, last modified 1998.
(3) "Bon Festival", Michigan State University, accessed October 19, 2013.

Ancestor Worship in Japan

Unlike the research I did for Chinese ancestor worship, finding sources regarding Japanese ancestor worship was slightly more difficult. Japanese ancestor worship largely evolved from Chinese influences of Confucianism, mixing with the Buddhism and Shintoism which were the main modes of worship in the country. (1) Like the Chinese, Japanese homes may have an ancestor altar which they call a butsudan. A butsudan is held as a special symbol in Japanese Buddhist culture, typically containing a statue or painting of Buddha, religious texts, and depending on what sect of Buddhism the family is, tablets with the names of ancestors. (2)

Butsudan at Shindo Buddhist Temple
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Butsudan_at_ShinDo_Buddhist_Temple.jpg

The family may offer food or drink at the altar, like the Chinese do in their own practices. However, this is not done frequently--instead, many worship their ancestors during the Bon Festival. The Bon Festival typically takes place near New Years and involves a variety of rituals to worship their ancestors, something I will cover in more detail in my next blog post.

Those who do not have a butsudan will typically visit the graves of their ancestors instead.

Cemetery in Tokyo, Japan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JapaneseGraveyardTokyo.jpg

It is fairly easy to see how different Japanese cemeteries are in comparison to American ones, and in certain crowded areas graves and headstones may be placed on top of each other. Some areas have even begun to put cemeteries on the roofs of buildings due to overcrowding. Most Japanese people have their bodies cremated and their ashes interred in the headstone itself. Below is a video of a family visiting and cleaning a grave--the description of the video gives more information on the importance of these markers.

(1) Masako Ishii-Kuntz. "Ancestor Worship - Ancestor Worship in Japan." Accessed October 11, 2013.
(2) "Butsudan," Wikipedia, last modified August 18, 2013, accessed October 10, 2013.

Chinese Altars

Chinese altars, sometimes called "Spirit Shrines" or "Spirit Houses", are frequently in the home now rather than in temples outside of the home. Rather than use spirit tablets, pictures are often used instead because of convenience.

Chinese Altar
http://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/online/teen/altar2.htm

It is standard for altars to have pictures, as well as offerings. These offerings may include food, drink, and money. In earlier times, gold coins were left, but due to grave robbing there was a switch to paper money. (1) This fake paper money, also called joss paper, can imitate real paper money, gold coins, or other things of value (cell phones, clothing, etc.). These offerings are left in the hope that it helps the loved one in the afterlife. This paper may be folded, or sometimes even burned for luck at the altar of the deceased.

Joss Paper
http://spirithouses-shrines.ucdavis.edu/content/lessons/readings/chinese.html

Along with paper offerings are food and drink offerings. Typically, food that is offered are things that the deceased enjoyed while they were still alive. (2) However, fruits and vegetables can be left instead--something that Buddhist practitioners frequently do. Similarly, drinks such as wine are offered. By making these offerings, the family hope to not only help the deceased, but be given luck and protection by their ancestors.

(1) "Chinese Altars and Spirit Houses", accessed October 5, 2013.
(2) Mike Liu, "Looking at the Altar", accessed October 6, 2013.