Obon Odori

The Annual  Summer Obon Odori Festivals* are found all over the U.S.   We had a great time attending the Pasadena Buddhist Obon Festival with our friends Mary and David. This is the first year that both Mike and I danced at the festival in Pasadena and in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles. I think it will become a tradition for us.

*Obon  or just Bon  is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist-Confucian custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori.