Honomu mission invites public to O-Bon services

The Honomu Henjoji Mission (Odaishisan) will host its annual Hatsu Bon and O-Bon services starting at 5 p.m. Saturday at the mission, 28-1668 Old Mamalahoa Highway in Honomu.

The O-Bon dance follows the services at 7 p.m. with live music provided by the Hilo Bon Dance Club.

The public is invited to attend this family friendly event. Saimin, hot dogs, cold drinks, coffee, bottled water and shave ice will be sold by temple members.

Proceeds from this concession will go toward the mission’s building fund.

Japanese immigrants brought many traditions to Hawaii, including the O-Bon dance festival. The O-Bon season runs from June to August and is a ceremony that honors the ancestors of the Japanese people.

The O-Bon dance originated in Japan as a dance to honor the deceased and is called “The Festival of Souls,” “The Feast of the Dead” or “The Festival of Lanterns.”

Celebrants believe that the souls of the departed return to be with the living during O-Bon and usually is celebrated by cleaning of graves and the offering of food.

To guide the ancestors, the Japanese traditionally have made special objects such as chochin (lanterns), totonagashi (floating lanterns of paper, or straw boats with candles.

The dance formation is generally a circle or several concentric circles, depending on the number of participants. Musicians usually are in the middle of the dancers in a small tower called a yagura.

The O-Bon dance is a tradition that has been passed down from Japanese immigrants to the people of Hawaii.

Today, many people participate in the O-Bon dance, commonly known as the Bon dance.

Although the O-Bon dance began as a Japanese tradition, many other people of different races and cultures also honor their ancestors during this time.

For more information, contact the Rev. Clark Watanabe, resident minister, at 963-6308.