During the summer season Japanese people honor ancestral spirits during the Obon Festival. It is believed that the spirits of the deceased return to the earthly realm during that time. Evolving from Buddhist customs, shrines throughout Japan hold festivals during the months of July – August.

One such festival is the Mitama Matsuri Festival ( みたままつり) at the Yasukuni Shrine to honor ancestors and ensure their peaceful rest. The festival runs for four days. Over 30,000 paper lanterns are strung from towers of metal scaffolding creating a pathway towards the main entrance. The paper lanterns in their yellow hue symbolize light and warmth. The pathway guides spirits of their ancestors back home into the main shrine grounds which are decorated with large lanterns, smaller dedicated lanterns, painted bonbori, and colorful Sendai Tanabata decorations.

Each day of the festival hosts its own unique shrine ceremonies; however, each day consists of communal dancing, brass band performances, and more. The Awa Odori dancing takes place near the Shinmon gate. The community joins from below following each traditional dance in sync with the main stage. Japanese students learn these traditional dances in school to persevere these traditions.

There are also unique performances in the Noh stage which consist of Aomori Nebutan appearances, poetry recitation, martial arts performances, rokyoku storytelling, and concerts. Followed at the end of the night by a brass band parade which showcases mikoshi portable shrines. In this parade, a group of people carry and shake mikoshi shrines as they move through the lantern-lit grounds.
SOURCES:

… See MoreSee Less

The Significance of the Mitama Matsuri: Honoring the Spirits – Japanese Mythology

japanese.mythologyworldwide.com

Discover the Mitama Matsuri, Japan’s Festival of the Spirits, honoring ancestors through vibrant rituals. Join the celebration of heritage and community!

The Tohono O'odham Nation resists the expansion of the Border Wall. You can listen to 5, 8-minute-long radio broadcasts put together by KPFA radio. … See MoreSee Less

Border Wall Resistance: Sovereignty, Sacred Lands, and the Fight in Southern Arizona | KPFA

kpfa.org

  Tribal members, environmental activists and local land defenders are resisting the Trump administration’s border wall expansion at several points along the U.S.–Mexico border in Arizona. On the…