#obon

Today is the “Bon Okihi” day, but in my hometown it is one month later, so it is 16 August.

Tomoe Iwaoka, “Bon Okuribi”.

The Bon Okuri-bi is an event held to send off the spirits of ancestors who stayed at home during the Bon Festival to the other world. It is a ceremony to send the ancestors welcomed by the welcoming fire back to the other world, and is generally held in the evening of 16 August (16 July in some regions), the last day of the Bon Festival. The bonfire is meant to express gratitude as well as to wish the spirits of ancestors a safe return to the other world.

本日は「盆送り火」の日ですが私の地元はひと月遅れなので8月16日です。

岩岡とも枝「盆送り火」

【東佐味・六斎念仏】

Right now it's Obon break in Japan, which means across the country people have the week off. During this time, people go back to their hometowns, visit their family members' graves and make horse/cow effigies out of cucumbers and eggplants. If you're curious as to what it's all about, here's a podcast for you! It's actually only 27 minutes long, with the first half featuring furigana and the second half is the same speech but without furigana (link to start of second half). There's also the option to have English CCs.