Obon Festival 2011

This weekend we traveled to Ekoji Buddhist temple for their annual Obon festival, a festival that honors departed ancestors.

I was extremely fortunate to grow up with such a lively way of celebrating the lives of my lost loved ones and I will always be grateful for that. 

Great food, great music, superb people-watching, traditional dancing and wonderful friends made for a fantastic evening....

The candle memorial ceremony is usually the most powerful part of the evening for me.

Last year we added a candle for Gridgery.  This year we added a candle for Kea.

It weighed heavily on me to see their names together like this. 

We miss them so, so much.




We also lit candles for my Papa, Gigi, Uncle EJ, my father-in-law and one for Seth, our friends wonderfully charming cat that passed away shortly after Kea.

The chanting during the ceremony puts me back at home in Hawaii....listening to my Gigi chant at the alter we had in our house and smelling the burning of the incense.  I never understood the words he chanted..............but I felt them.....

gosh I'm home-sick.

Obon Festival 2010

(July 10, 2010)

The Ekoji Temple in Fairfax, Va was host to the 2010 Obon Festival.

The food, the music, the dancing...it was all as spectacular as last year.

This year they also had a special guest performance by The Aloha Boys!

It was fantastic!

For those unfamiliar with Obon....it's essentially a festival or celebration of the life of your passed on loved ones.  It's meant to be a celebration of the life they lived.  You dance for them, you remember them, you pray for them, you're with them.

The Aloha Boys and their hula dancers...

LOVE kimonos!

Jasmine dancing for her Baba at her first Obon festival....

Our favorite Taiko group (Nen Daiko)!!!

Lit candles for my lost loved ones.....this year...the new candle was for my Gridgery....

I love you Uncle, Papa, Gigi, Ron and Gridgery...I danced all night for you.

Obon Festival - 2009

(July 14, 2009)

I miss my family. Big time.

Thankfully, I'll get to see them this holiday season. =) Yay!

In addition to missing my family...I really miss Obon season in Hawaii.

Obon season is all about honoring the loved ones that have passed on before you. The festivals are absolutely charming. You gather, you pray, you dance, you eat, you laugh, you cry, you dance some more and you remember. It is (by far) the best way to celebrate the life your loved ones lived.

I hadn't been to an Obon festival since 2007, so was extremely excited to learn (via Facebook) that the Buddhist temple in Fairfax (about 2 hours from me) would host an Obon festival and taiko performances featuring the taiko group I had the honor of playing with for a workshop a few summers ago!

I invited friends and could barely contain my excitement at the prospect of sharing this part of my culture with them!

We arrived at the temple just before the dancing started...

The aroma was a mix between noodles, sugar and incense.

Our group found a spot to sit and watch the dancing and I immediately felt at home...

By the second song my friend Sara and I had jumped in...

I can't say enough how happy it made me to have our friends experience this with us.

Dancing, taiko drums, great friends and remembering my Uncle, my Papa and my Gigi......

T'was a great night.