What does the Japanese Bonin Festival do _ What activities are there?

Bonin Festival is a very important festival in Japan. In Japanese, Bonin Festival means to worship ancestors, so they are very important for this festival. So what exactly do you do about the Japanese Bonin Festival?

According to local legends in Japan, on July 13th, the ancestors will return to the earth, and they will not return to the sky until three days later. So there will be a lot of activities these days. They will put some sacrifices to their ancestors, and there will be a lot of sacrificial activities.

The history of the Bonin Festival

Bonin Festival has a long history. According to the Records of Japan, Emperor Tuigu (66) started activities similar to Bonin Festival at that time. In heian period, the activities of the Bonsai Club in the Japanese Palace have been very grand. At that time, the Bonobo Festival was to worship the souls of ancestors, which was basically equivalent to the Bonobo Festival now. After that, it was very popular among the Wu family and nobles, and it was not popularized to the general public until the Edo period.

Later, because Japan adopted the new calendar during the Meiji Restoration, many traditional Japanese festivals became solar calendars. Therefore, some areas also celebrated the Bonin Festival around July 15th in the solar calendar. Although the time varies from place to place, generally speaking, it is a traditional Japanese "basin" from August 13 to around 16 (that is to say, the Japanese often release it during this time! False! ）。

Preparation and basic activities of the Bonin Festival

Bonin Festival is to welcome the souls of ancestors to their homes and offer them sacrifices to show their gratitude. Different religions decorate shrines, welcome spirits and send spirits in different ways. The following is an example.

prepare altars (undead huts) and tributes

Generally, Japanese people should arrange shrines or mourning huts (undead huts) and prepare sacrifices after the sun sets on August 12th and before the sun rises on August 13th.

When preparing sacrifices, it should be noted that:

Before giving them to family members, it is necessary to sincerely offer sacrifices in front of the Buddhist shrine. And the sacrifice should be ready to be eaten by all people, including ancestors. For example, when preparing vegetarian noodles, it should be cooked, and it should be accompanied by delicious soup. At the same time, a pair of chopsticks should be prepared next to the vegetarian noodles.

2. Fruit. If you prepare grapes and other foods, you need to wash them and put them in a small plate, while if you prepare pears or apples, you need to peel them.

3. The plain noodles mentioned above. Of course, some people are used to offering seasonal fruits and vegetables such as watermelons in summer.

When offering sacrifices, although the religions you believe in are different, it is basically common sense to light a lamp, burn incense, offer flowers and sacrifice in front of a Buddhist shrine. Generally speaking, these contents are called five offerings.

incense sticks

When you reach the world of enlightenment, you must let your ancestors feel the burning incense sticks. Use more incense when performing rituals, and use more long incense at ordinary times. However, it should be noted that the incense cannot be blown out by mouth, but should be gently fanned out by hand.

Flowers

Sacrifice some favorite flowers of the deceased ancestors or wild flowers that will make the ancestors very happy. Flowers need to be changed frequently to prevent them from wilting.

candles

illuminate the Buddha statue, and their brightness also symbolizes the wisdom of the gods. Moreover, the way this candle burns quietly until it burns out also symbolizes the impermanence of the world.

clean water

offering pure water every day also means purifying the hearts of people who visit the shrine, so change fresh water every day.

Diet

Every day, food should be offered in front of the Buddhist shrine. The food doesn't have to be too fine, just prepare the food that you eat every day. However, on the anniversary of the death of an old friend and when doing things, the spirit should be sacrificed for food. Spiritual catering is a vegetarian diet with three dishes and one soup, and you should avoid meat and other foods. Pay attention to the edible state when offering. Never sacrifice stale food.

Soul-welcoming fire and soul-sending fire

On the evening of August 13th, it is necessary to light lanterns in front of Buddhist shrines or altars (dead sheds) and burn hemp stalks outside the entrance or in the courtyard. This is a soul-welcoming fire specially lit to let the ancestors' souls find their way home.

In recent years, the living environment of Japanese people has changed, and people are gradually inclined to apartments or high-rise buildings, so they often place lanterns in front of Buddha statues instead of welcoming souls.

On the evening of 15th or 16th, people will also burn hemp stalks outside the entrance or in the courtyard. And this is a soul-sending fire to see off the spirits of our ancestors. Like the soul-welcoming fire, hemp stalks are burned in a shallow pottery pot.

Kyoto is full of characters.

If you can't go back to your hometown to celebrate the Bonin Festival, you need to pay attention to sending the sacrifices you need or the amount equivalent to the sacrifices to your parents in your hometown, which is called "before the imperial ceremony" or "materials for the imperial ceremony". Don't feel that you can't go home and do nothing. And don't forget to call your parents to tell them that you are safe, and remember to ask if your parents are well.

In addition, during the Bonin Festival, many celebrations and sacrifices are held in various parts of Japan, and many people get together and dance. This is the famous "Penyong", which is the most famous activity of the Bonin Festival.

For myself, this festival is to show their gratitude to their ancestors like their children, and let their children express their respect for their ancestors. Although the times have been changing a lot and many things have become different, this festival has not changed.

Summary: Sacrifices for the Bonin Festival are generally pudding, fruit and mutton soup, and fruits are usually peeled. There will be flowers on the three days of the festival, as well as the customs of clean water and incense. There will also be some dead sheds, which the Japanese will attach great importance to.