O-Bon, the Spirit Festival

Thursday, August 16, 2012
8-9:30 p.m. by the Admission Gate and Upper Pond
Free Members Event
Reservations Required; Space is limited
Reservations open July 17

*No flash photography or tripods, please

O-Bon is a Buddhist memorial festival that dates back more than a thousand years. Over a three-day period in mid-summer, families gather to pray for the spirits of their ancestors. It is an annual reminder of the importance of family ties, of respect for those who have gone before, and of the brevity and preciousness of our lives together.

Join us for Bon Odori led by Ms. Sahomi Tachibana, the most accomplished traditional Japanese dancer performing outside of Japan and a long-time Portland resident and friend of the Portland Japanese Garden.

Following the dance outside the Garden’s admission gate, take part in Toro Nagashi, which literally means “lantern floating” and refers to the practice of floating lanterns on the water at O-bon to light the way home to the heavens for the spirits of ancestors who are believed to visit their families at this time of year. We are honored to have Reverend Zuigaku Kodachi lead the solemn Buddhist chanting at this year’s Lantern Festival. Light a lantern for someone you have loved and watch as the it flickers across the Garden’s Upper Pond in memory of departed friends and family, and listen to the words of the elegant Myohorengekyo—the Lotus Sutra which comforts and encourages us all with a message of hope for the troubled spirits of our times.

Rev. Kodachi will also read the names of recently deceased friends and relatives of Garden members as a part of the Buddhist prayers chanted by the Upper Pond.

This festival is underwritten in part by the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation.