Obon

Obon is a week-long celebration when the veil between the living and the dead are at its closest.  Think of it like Halloween in America, except for the spirits in Japan aren't evil.

In Japan at Obon families visit the graves of their departed relatives as their spirits often return during this period.  They clean the graves and leave offerings of food.  Children often make eggplant cows and cucumber horses as shown in the picture for the spirits to ride back into the realm of the living.

The holidays origins can be traced back to a disciple of Buddha, who used his supernatural powers to look in on the spirit of his deceased mother.  He could see that she was suffering in the afterlife. He went to the Buddha and asked if there was anything that he could do.  Buddha instructed him to leave offerings of food to appease the hungry ghosts that were tormenting his mother's spirit.  He did this and saw that his mother's spirit was released by the ghosts.  He also saw all of the sacrifices in life that his mother had made for him and because of his mother's past kindness, the monk danced for joy.

Often festivals are held at this time of the year throughout Japan where people wear traditional yukatas and kimonos and dance in the memory of all the sacrifices and kindness that the spirits of their ancestors have shown them.

Me?  I'm dancing for joy because I got a whole week off from work!