The event is equally beautiful and spiritual for participants and bystanders alike. The toro nagashi are released on lakes, ocean, and rivers to help the ancestral spirits return to their world. These lanterns house a candle and float on water. More recently, floating lanterns called toro nagashi have also grown in popularity. Toward the end of the festival, some people use the chochin lanterns to bring their ancestors’ spirits back to the gravesite through a ritual called okuri-bon. This step of the celebration is normally held at parks, temples, shrines, and other public areas, where bystanders can join in the dancing too. Light, summer kimonos called yukata are typically worn. Japanese taiko drums are almost always played while dancers perform on a yagura stage. As our civilization traveled through millennia, dance was modified to the point of being. Since the earliest times of our existence, far before the creation of first modern civilizations, dance served as an irreplaceable way of expressing human thought and emotion. The lyrics and messages of the songs also differ and are unique to an area’s culture and history. History of dance closely follows the development of human race. On the second day, traditional Obon folk dances called bon odori are performed, though the exact style varies from region to region across Japan. Rather than somber affairs, however, Japan's Three Great Bon Odori Dance Festivals represent an energetic mix of traditional choreography with modern-day merrymaking. Sometimes, communal fires or bonfires outside people’s homes ( mukae-bi) are used. Bon Odori, or Bon dance, is a kind of dance performed during the summer Obon season in Japan, when it's believed that people's ancestors return to visit the world of the living. Through a ritual called mukae-bon, families call out to their ancestors, welcoming them back home. Some people clean their ancestors’ gravestones and markers before presenting offerings-though leaving these kinds of gifts at altars and temples is more popular. On the first day of the festival, families usually visit their relatives’ graves, bringing along chochin lanterns. Different traditions are carried out over the course of Obon week, depending on each region’s traditions.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |