Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Matsuri, Japanese Festivals, the Basics

While I'm in Japan, I'll be mostly on campus, but I'd like to venture out and about to get a taste of the famous and fun matsuri!! For all of the stereotypes that Japanese people are strict, self-controlled, meek, and well behaved, during a festival they will live it up with city-wide parades, dancing in the street, traditional costumes and music, alcohol (of course), and big spectacles for everyone to enjoy. Some matsuri are based on religious exercises, but most have become more like all-out-block-parties (similar to the old Marti Gras celebrations in New Orleans). These festivals can be for the whole nation, a single village, or even just a little shrine. Rumor has it that at any given moment there is a matsuri going on in Japan. I've studied about matsuri for two years now, and I'm dying to get a chance to see what Mitaka and Tokyo can do!

As it so happens, one of the reasons I booked my ticket for the end of this month is so that I would purposefully avoid a festival called Oban. As a Japanese travel site explains:
Obon is an annual Buddhist event for commemorating one's ancestors. It is believed that each year during obon, the ancestors' spirits return to this world in order to visit their relatives.

Traditionally, lanterns are hung in front of houses to guide the ancestors' spirits, obon dances (bon odori) are performed, graves are visited and food offerings are made at house altars and temples.

At the end of Obon, floating lanterns are put into rivers, lakes and seas in order to guide the spirits back into their world. The customs followed vary strongly from region to region.

Obon is celebrated from the 13th to the 15th day of the 7th month of the year, which is July according to the solar calender. However, since the 7th month of the year roughly coincides with August rather than July according to the formerly used lunar calender, Obon is still celebrated in mid August in many regions of Japan, while it is celebrated in mid July in other regions.

The Obon week in mid August is one of Japan's three major holiday seasons, accompanied by intensive domestic and international travel activities and increased accommodation rates.

I'm not sure what the next matsuri in my area will be, but hopefully I'll be able to go and not be overloaded with homework! By the way, this is the post is the start of my 1 week countdown!!

No comments:

Post a Comment