Japanese Festival Commemorates the Birth of Buddha

Surrounded by Japanese lanterns and pine trees artistically pruned to resemble bonsais, about 1,000 people turned out Saturday to celebrate Hanamatsuri, or the birth of Buddha, with dance, music and food.

In its 30th year, the weekend event at the Orange County Buddhist Church raises money for the church, which has a congregation of about 900 members, said the Rev. Marvin Harada.

Buddha was born about 2,500 years ago in India, and throughout the centuries his teachings have spread across Asia and the rest of the world. There are many different sects of Buddhism, and each has its own set of rituals and traditions, Harada said.

Harada noted that in Sri Lanka, believers celebrate the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha on the same day, and it does not correlate with Saturday’s Hanamatsuri.

“Our tradition comes from the Chinese,” he said.

But on Saturday, the scene was distinctly Japanese. In one corner, a Bonsai exhibit softened the sharpness of antique Japanese swords displayed in one room. In a gymnasium across a parking lot, young men were getting ready for their Taiko performance, a traditional percussion symphony using six to 10 drums.

The scent of teriyaki chicken and barbecued squid lingered in the air as children tossed Ping-Pong balls into fish bowls in hopes of bringing home a goldfish to show their friends.

“I tried like 36 times so far but I haven’t won any goldfish,” said Greg Sonoda, 8, a third-grader at Mariposa Elementary School in Brea. “I think I’ll try again later.”

Last year, Greg and his 9-year-old sister, Joyce, won about seven goldfish between them, and gave several away to friends. They were hoping to win more this year.

The twosome also enjoyed the festival’s Nickel Pitch, where they threw nickels into a playing board, and if it landed in the middle of a square, they received from three to 100 nickels back, depending on the number marked in the square.

For others such as Jeanne Yanai, the festival was a chance to see how Japanese arts have been nourished in American society. Yanai drove from South Bay to attend the festival’s flower arrangement exhibit, a collection of about 35 displays that blend East and West using a variety of plants and flowers that include calla lilies as well as bamboo branches.

“I have been taking flower-arrangement classes for about two years,” Yanai said. “And it’s nice to see the Japanese tradition carried over into these arrangements. They’re gorgeous.”

Joe and Jane Cuny of Gardena, who for about 12 years have organized the festival’s koi exhibit, said tradition is part of the celebration, which draws a mix of curious children and adults.

The couple breed koi--or Japanese carp. They are colorful cousins of the goldfish first bred in Japan as food and later as pets, Joe Cuny said.

“We get kids who have never seen them go nuts over them, and we get old-timers who just stop by to say hello,” he said. “That’s why we’re here.”

Eddie Nakasone, 45, of Brea spent the afternoon happily browsing among the exhibits.

“I’ve been coming here for the last 10 years, and they generally don’t change much,” he said. “The food is what I really came for.”

Shelly Wheeler, 30, of Anaheim said she could “smell the teriyaki burgers from five blocks away.” Wheeler, her husband and 5-year-old son have attended the annual festival for the past three years and said they probably will be back today, when the celebration continues from 2 to 8:30 p.m at the church, 909 South Dale Ave.