Saturday, June 20, 2024

Free Admission • 4–9 p.m.

Seabrook Buddhist Temple, 9 Northville Rd., Seabrook: Obon is a Buddhist holiday celebrated in the summer. There is a long tradition of Obon that has origins in the Ullambana Sutra about the “jumping with joy” (dancing) when the selfless acts of giving released the suffering of a disciple’s mother. There are various ways of observing Obon in many Asian countries. The practical reason for Obon is to remember and honor our ancestors and to express gratitude for what we have been given.

The most well known in the west is the Japanese observance of Obon Odori (dance) which evolved in Japan for the past 800 years. Each town or village would use a folk dance (Minyo) for an evening of celebrating. Each area often has other local traditions associated with Obon, such as hanging paper lanterns, boats with lighted candles releases in a river, and other ways of remembering our ancestors.

In the United States, Obon Odori incorporated the folk dances from the various towns, districts, and prefectures from where the Japanese immigrants came from. So, we now have, perhaps, a dozen or more songs and dances at a local Buddhist Temple’s Obon Odori. Often there are various Japanese foods and crafts which are part of the Obon Matsuri (festival), and it becomes a real Japanese festive event.

Funding for this event was made possible in part by the New Jersey Council on the Arts/ Department of State, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Cumberland County Board of County Commissioners, and the Cumberland County Cultural & Heritage Commission.

For more information, visit sbtnj.org/website2/events