Friday, August 7, 2009

Honor Your Ancestors at Morikami's Bon Festival

Japan's Obon (also known as Bon) Festival will visit Boca Raton, Fl this weekend. On Saturday, August 8 from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m., the Morikami Museum and Gardens will host its version of the festival with Taiko drum performances, traditional Japanese dancing and plenty of yummy sushi and sake to boot.

The Bon Festival is a Japanese Buddhist custom that commemorates deceased family members and friends. It's traditionally celebrated over the course of three days in August [and sometimes in July.] The festival is often referred to as the Feast of Lights because, on the third day, lanterns are lighted and floated on rivers to symbolically represent an ancestor's return to the spirit world.

The Morikami Gardens' Bon Festival will end with the traditional floating of the lanterns and a fireworks display. Both the entrance and the purchasing of a lantern are ten dollars. For more information on the festival, go here.

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