Tag: obon

Ottawa Obon 2024 report

We bring you a wonderful look at Ottawa’s first Obon ceremony, which took place on Bate Island on Saturday, August 10th, before dusk (and heavy rain) descended on the island.

It was a wonderful gathering. The park came alive with the beautiful yukata robes worn by many of this year’s attendees. The festivities began with the making of paper lanterns, which were then hung on nearby trees and around the ceremonial site to help summon the ancestral spirits to the gathering. This was followed by a hearty meal of potluck, dancing, and finally, escorting the ancestral spirits down the river to return them to their homelands.

Thank you so much to event organizers Shigemi Ichino and Mari Wellman, as well as to sound technician, David Okura who supplied expert services and technical support. The whole park was able to enjoy the sounds of our Odori dancing thanks to him!

Ottawa Obon

Saturday, August 10, 2024, 5:00 pm
Bate Island, off the Champlain Bridge

August is the height of summer in Japan. It is also the month of Obon and it is the most widely observed of Japanese festivals in the summer.
Obon is a three-day celebration of ancestors’ spirits that come home to rest. Lanterns are lit to light the way back home. People visit shrines, temples, and family graves during Obon. 
There is a lighter side during the Obon period, and it is the bon odori, an Obon dance party!
Makeshift platforms are built at shrines, temples, parks and other public places and people dance to traditional Japanese music, to the rhythm of taiko drums.
Traditional foods are sold, and can include foods that may be familiar in Canada, such as takoyaki, yakisoba, okonomiyaki, ramune (sparkling soda), shaved ice.

At the end of the Obon festival, it is time to say our goodbyes to all ancestors’ spirits by guiding them with lit lanterns to the bank of a riverside, or any waterway, to help float back to their world. The ritual varies slightly between different regions of Japan, and in Ottawa, an Ottawa-made version will be celebrated. The OJCA-CC invites everyone, circle the date and plan to celebrate Ottawa’s Obon.