Every year in mid-August, we have the Bon festival. Bon is a Buddhist event where ancestral spirits returning from the afterlife are welcomed back into the home, when Family members who live away from home will return for Bon and together visit the family grave.
In Japan, memorial pagodas are in general erected not for individuals, but as family graves. The cremated remains of the deceased are stored within those graves. While it is believed that ancestral spirits reside in the grave, during Bon they are welcomed into the home. Therefore, a ritual called “mukae-bi” (welcoming fire) is performed at the grave, where torche is lit, guiding the ancestral spirits to the home.
In Japan, many houses are equipped with a Buddhist altar called a “butsudan.” The butsudan serves as an altar to pray for the spirits of the ancestors residing in the graves. Candles are lit, and incense is burned as offerings. During Bon, it is believed that the spirits of the ancestors return to the butsudan.
On the final day of Bon, torche is again lit at the entrance of the house (a ritual called “okuri-bi” or sending-off fire), guiding the spirits back to the grave.
In this way, the Bon festival is a significant occasion where both the living family members and the spirits of ancestors gather in the home.
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