Analysis of Japanese Festivities - Assignment Example

Japanese Festivities A festival or an event gala is usually staged by a local community, which centers on the unique aspects of that community. This article looks at the various festivals that are marked in Japan. Mostly the Japanese festivals are traditional festival occasions. A few of this festival are connected to the early Chinese festivals but some have changed and been adopted as Japanese festivals. This festivals have faced a number of changes because of time, may have changed and do not resemble the original festivals. In most cases, festivals are based on one event, which is marked by celebrations with food stalls, entertainment, and carnival games to entertain the people. Others are based around the temples and shrines while others are based around fireplaces commonly known as hanabis to the Japanese. The Japanese festivals are known as matsuri. Mostly, the local shrines and temples usually sponsor these festivals, which are the traditional worshiping places for the Japanese. The dates for this matsuri vary from time to time since there is no specific day to hold these festivals. They also vary from one area to another. The Sapporo yuki matsuri is one of the festivals usually marked in Japan. It is held in Sapporo area in Japan around the month of February. This matsuri usually lasts for one week. The festival traces its root back to 1950 when high school students used to build snow statutes in Odori Park, in central Sapporo. The event has continued to grow and is now one of the biggest events in Japan. It has also brought in commercialization in the event and entrepreneurs create a lot of money during this period. The event involves the making of a dozen sculptures alongside a hundred smaller snow and ice sculptures. They also hold several concerts and other events in these festivals. It is Hokkaido’s largest festival and attracts two million visitors from Japan and other regions of the world. The other event is the Obon festival. It is also known as the festival of the dead. This matsuri is a yearly event that is observed in the month of July according to the western Julian calendar or August according to Chinese lunar calendar depending on the location. The Buddhists community mostly observes it. It is also known as the festival of lanterns. The Buddhists believe that during the year, on this day, an iron pot in hell is let loose for the deceased. They hold Buddhists services in the temples and the private premises for ancestors, relatives and friends who died sometimes ago and in particular those who died in the recent past (Bauer and Carlquist 10). This event involves offering foodstuffs to the dead. Moreover, as a symbol, they prefer that food for prepared specifically for that day. This has been particular because Obon event originated from a Buddhist legend. The Obon festival traces its roots from the early Asians ancestral cults. It is believed that these cults were practiced in India and that the Indians brought them to Japan. The cult festival is based on the legend of Monk Mogallana’s liberation operation for his mother from the hell of hungry ghosts. The festival is based on how a son wished her mother a nice welfare after she died and how the issue was resolved by the Buddhists’ practice. The Buddhists faith believes that Mogallana practiced mediation, therefore gaining spiritual insight and vision that enabled him to see his mother’s real condition. Mogallana is believed to have consulted the Buddha on how he could free his mother from the torture and suffering. The Buddha told him to practices compassion and that he should give offerings to the monks. This led to his mother being released from hell and it is believed that Mogallana danced with great joy. This was the beginning of Bon dance, which is practiced during Bon festival. During the first day of the festival of Obon, special lanterns known as chochin are lit inside their houses and people go to their families’ graves to call their ancestors spirits back home. They know this as mukae-bon. In some other areas, fires that are known as mukae-bi are lit at the entrances of houses that are meant to guide the spirits. During the last day, the people guide the ancestors’ spirits back to the grave. They hang the special lantern chochin on the ancestors’ grave with the family crest to guide them back to the grave. They know it as Okuri-bi (Krasno 3). The other festival is known as Shogatsu festival. The event happens for three consecutive days. It starts from January 1 and runs to January 3. The event is a national holiday in Japan. It is like the Japanese New Year festival, which involves communities and family events that revolve around themes of good fortunes. This festival is mainly based on communities and families context and does not involve sharing with others. However, they acknowledge greetings from other people. This holiday falls in the same period as that of the New Year in America. This results to most businesses closing at that period. Most businesses close as early as 29 December and opened as late as 3 January. This is exaggerated because the official time runs from 1 January to 3 January. This holiday revolves around renewal and hopes for good fortunes between the Japanese. The Japanese s person visits shrines and temples as well as other religious places to pray for happiness in the year that follows. The visiting of these sacred places takes place for seven days and the first visit is known as Hatsumode. This is more of a cultural custom than a religious custom. During the New Year eve of this festival, the Buddhists principles usually ring the bell on the temples 108 times where 100 times are during the year and 8 times during the New Year. This festival features a number of customs such as Otoshi-Dama, which is the New Year treasure. It also involves a gift of money to the children in some decorated envelops, traditional pounding of rice to bake cakes known as Mochi, and a special meal known as Osechi-ryoyi (Vilhar and Anderson 5-12). Works Cited Bauer, Helen and Carlquist, Sherwin. “Japanese festivals” Michigan: The University of Michigan, 2008. Print. Krasno, Rena. “Floating lanterns and golden shrines: celebrating Japanese festivals.” California: Pacific view Press, 2000. Print. Vilhar, Gorazd and Anderson, Charlotte. “Matsuri: world of Japanese festivals” Japan. Shufunotomo Co., 1994. Print. Read More