Obon is a holiday that Okinawans celebrate each year. It's a time during which they believe their ancestors come to visit. They commemorate with different traditions such as offering food and drink to ancestors' spirits, performing special dances, and gifting each other $60 boxes of mangoes. (I'm not kidding!)
But most important of all, as my friend Kanae warned me... "don't go swimming in the ocean during Obon because all the ghosts in the water will pull you under!" Okinawa has lots of them, according to her.
Last year when we moved here, we couldn't escape the Obon frenzy. Since we were new, our senses were really alive to it. It's like Xmas season in the states-- everywhere and in your face.
But this year strangely, it sort of crept up on us, but then one night last week, we heard the familiar twang twang build up outside our window. We went down to see the commotion and there it was...Obon dancing and drumming in all its glory.
Since last weekend, we've heard Obon dancing from our window every night. Pretty cool entertainment, don't you think?
3 comments:
You're video definitely shows off the hoopla much better than my pics.
Every year they've come down our street here by the sea wall, and I was wondering why we hadn't heard that sound yet. I asked at the restaurant upstairs, and she said that it's actually the 1st-3rd of September this year. So we have a little while to go!
I love Obon season...and I go to the big Eisa Festival in Okinawa City every year!!!
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