“Obon” is a Japanese observance honoring ancestors and friends that have passed away. Obon is usually held August 13th through 16th, but some areas in Japan may hold it earlier. We believe the spirits of the dead will visit us during obon and offer prayers for their peace. Some people display eggplants and cucumbers, and they are called shōryō-uma (精霊馬). The cucumber horse is to carry the spirits on their way to come here quickly and the eggplant cow is to carry them back slowly and leisurely. We often burn small amount of hemp stalk, called mukae-bi (迎え火), on a tray on the 13th to welcome spirits to our homes. There are different obon ceremonies to send the spirits off on the 16th depending on the area. In Kyoto, they hold a ceremony called Daimonji yaki (大文字焼き) where they burn a big fire that is shaped like this: “大” on a mountainside. In other places people celebrate tōrō nagashi (灯篭流し) which is a ceremony where they release floating lanterns into a river or ocean to bid the spirits good-by, and okuri-bi (送り火), is another ceremony of burning hemp stalk on a tray.
