Second Opinion / OTHER MEDIA : RAFU SHIMPO : Traditional Japanese Festival Acquires L.A. Flavor

For Japanese Americans, summer means obon season. Up and down the West Coast and in other areas where there is a significant JA presence, obons take place on virtually every weekend. To us Sansei and Yonsei (third- and fourth-generation Japanese Americans), they are like mini-carnivals, a place to eat teriyaki chicken and grilled corn on the cob, play carnival games and meet other young people.

Considering this carnival atmosphere, it’s a bit surprising to note that the origins of the obon festival have to do with commemorating the spirits of the dead. In its traditional Japanese incarnation, the obon festival is a Buddhist ritual involving the return of the spirits of the dead to earth. Over a period of three days, graves are tended, food offerings are made, and religious ceremonies are held. As with many other elements of Japanese culture, this mostly private ceremony has evolved into something entirely different in a Japanese-American context.

Generally, Japanese-American obons are put on by Buddhist churches as fund-raisers. Other community groups also participate by putting on games or by selling food or drink. Chicken teriyaki is the staple, featuring sauces concocted by Nisei women church members and cooked over the grill by their husbands. In the evening there is traditional dancing in the parking lot. Though I know nothing about dance, I swear that some of the moves I see owe more to the Temptations than anything “traditional.”