Summer Obon

The summer season is

upon us in full swing,

though the past two months of cooler

than normal temperatures and

unseasonable steady rains make things seem

a little more like we are still in the 

throes of winter.

So... when the opportunity to escape

the rains of the eastern island slopes

presented itself last saturday evening,

I gladly grabbed cameras & headed to the

island's west side for what is arguably

the most colorful and joyous ceremony on

the island events calendar.

Obon(sometimes simply called "Bon")season 

has begun. A buddhist-confucian custom 

which brings families together to honor spirits

of the ancestors, cleaning grave sites and preparing

for the spirits return to family altars.

While all of this might sound quite solemn,

quite the opposite is in evidence, at least the 

Jodo Buddhist Mission in Lahaina, an elaborate

shrine featuring multi-roofed pagodas, the largest 
bronze Buddha sculpture outside of Japan and home
 to the only floating lantern ceremony 
held on Maui.

Things begin with rituals held for temple 

members inside one of two shrines housed

at the mission site. As the sun begins to sink

into the western ocean, the faithful take up glowing

paper lanterns embellished with kanji script, drawings, 

notes and prayers for departed loved ones. lantern bearers

then begin a procession to the lagoon edge 

fronting the temple, where waiting attendants 

take each lantern and place them on small

 rafts to be used later in the proceedings

 to ferry the illuminated lanterns out to the

 edge of the reef where each lantern is 

carefully set adrift to 

follow tides & current.

Once lanterns are committed to the sea,

the real fun begins with the Obon dance. 

Revelers don colorful kimonos and gather 'round

a brightly lit tower set up on the grounds

from which emanates the steady drumbeat

of the Taiko accompanied by taped music

traditional to Japan. Dancers move en-masse 

around the tower using simple, prescribed

steps, hand gestures & claps. Everyone is 

welcome, the dance is quite easy to pick-up

once you've observed a couple of spins around

the tower. Ringing the circle of dance, the 

atmosphere is more likened to a country fair 

with delicious food stalls selling prepared

delicacies, candies, shave ice. Teens hide in the

shadows, flirting shyly. Temple members, tourists

and non-buddhist community members alike

all come together for the celebration. 

Obon season continues for the next several 

weeks with dances being held each weekend 

at various temples around the island. 

Check your local listings for a schedule 

and then get out and enjoy one of the 

truly great ways to spend summer's 

evening in Hawaii!