MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- An annual migration of people starts in mid-August across Japan. Highways, bullet trains and even airplanes are crowded with people due to the traditional Buddhist holiday, called Obon.
Obon is a unique holiday, because it isn't celebrated on a specific day. Because the original lunar calendar was converted to a solar calendar, the holiday is celebrated on different days in different regions.
The Obon celebration originated in India. According to the legend, a man wished to see what his mother's life was like after her death. In a vision, he saw her suffering from hunger. To rescue her, he prepared a bowl of rice. But, as she approached the bowl, it burst into flames.
He then asked a Buddhist priest to help him. The priest said that her suffering was due to sins she committed in her earthly life. He also said that she could only be saved by the mercy of Buddha. He asked several priests to hold a mass for her. The mass was held on the 15th day of the seventh month, and succeeded in saving the man's mother from hunger.
As Buddhism spread in Japan, the celebration gradually permeated Japanese society in various rituals that reflect the districts where they were adopted.
Before the Obon festivals start, families clean family graves and decorate them with flowers and lanterns.
They also light "mukae-bi," welcome fires, to invite the ancestors' souls home. People believe that the departed souls ride the smoke back into the homes.
People display a horse and cow made out of a cucumber and eggplant with chopsticks for legs. When the soul's return, they ride the horse and put their luggage on the cow.
During the festival, families return to their ancestors' graves, and once again, decorate them with flowers and candles and burn incense while giving prayers.
Since Japanese people believe their ancestors' spirits return to the world to reunite with living relatives during joyous occasions, they welcome them.
In homes, elaborate lanterns are set up beside the "butsudan," a families Buddhist altar.
Since one of the most important parts of the festival is to offer ancestors food, fruits and sweets are placed on the altars.
Another very popular part of the festival is a dance, called the Bon Odori. This dance is usually performed by large groups of people dressed in summer kimonos.
The people surround a platform with a red and white banner and dance in a circle to music.
The celebration of Obon is centered around the main branch of the family, but many people believe it's slowly losing its importance. Because of the trend of the nuclear family in the urban areas, the traditional celebrations are slowly fading.
It may not be an exaggeration to say the Obon is being buried under the summer vacation.