O-Bon (the Day of the Dead)

[Crystal Dragon]

No... not Zombies!!!
Sometimes, other lands have customs that may appear to be very strange to us, but to them, they are rooted in great tradition with very deep personal meanings for them. Everyone once in a while I come across one that although is strange, it also reflects a deep respect for honoring dead ancestors.
I thought I would occasionally share them with you!!

In the beginning, the air and land were not separate, nor

were masculine and feminine split apart. All was one, like

an egg, full of potential and without limits. But slowly

earth, being heavier, settled out of heaven. At first it

floated about on the air, like a fish swimming near the

surface of the water, but finally it formed entirely and sank

beneath the heavens.

~Nihongi, Japanese Scriptures

In Japan, this is the great festival of Bon or O-Bon, the day of the dead, who have returned to that invisible and formless world that proceeded creation. Before the festival begins, all homes must be ritually cleaned. Then, a welcoming feast brings back the souls of the departed; a procession to the graveyard wakes them, then a torchlight procession leads them back home, where a feast is spread out. At these banquets, poets traditionally praised the sensuous beauties of the world, so that the dead could remember again their days on earth. Dances to honor the ancestors are performed by young women. Finally, gifts are offered to the dead, and they are sent back to sleep again in the graveyards. Those who died with no remaining relatives are honored with boats carrying paper lanterns, which are set adrift on rivers and lakes.

In the flourishing time of summer, such a festival is a good reminder of the inevitable end of all life. When the roses bloom, the tomatoes ripen red in the sun, and the air is full of fragrance ad song, it may seem that winter lives on another planet. In happy times, too, we can forget that pain is as much a part of life as joy. The wisdom of Japan reminds us of death in the midst of life and, conversely, of life in the midst of death.

[Victor Hugo]

Thanks Crystal nice post.