Obon (2) and Gozan no Okuribi (Daimonji)

Obon (お盆^?) or just Bon (盆^?) is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori.

Gozan no Okuribi (五山送り火), more commonly known as Daimonji (大文字), is a festival in Kyoto, Japan. It is the culmination of the O-Bon festival on August 16, in which five giant bonfires are lit on mountains surrounding the city. It signifies the moment when the spirits of deceased family members, who are said to visit this world during O-Bon, are believed to be returning to the spirit world—thus the name Okuribi (送り火) (roughly, "send-off fire").

Starting at 8 PM, the giant bonfires are lit, each with a distinctive shape. Three of the fires form giant Chinese characters, and two form familiar shapes. The characters, their locations, meanings, and the lighting times are:

• Daimonji (大文字), the character meaning "large" or "great:"
  • on Daimonji-Yama/Higashi-Yama, Nyoigatake at 8:00PM
• Myō/Hō (妙・法), the characters meaning "wondrous dharma" (referring to Buddhist teachings):
  • on Matsugasaki, Nishi-Yama/Higashi-Yama at 8:10PM
• Funagata (舟形), the shape of a boat:
  • on Nishigamo, Funa-Yama at 8:15PM
• Hidari Daimonji (左大文字), again, the character meaning "large:"
  • on Daihoku-San, Hidaridaimonji-San at 8:15PM
• Toriigata (鳥居形), the shape of a torii or shrine gate:
  • on Toriimoto, Mandara-San at 8:20PM

The most famous—and the first to be lit—is the character dai (大), on Kyoto's Daimonji-yama (大文字山 daimonjiyama^?). The other four fires are lit at five to ten-minute intervals, and by 8:30, all the characters can be seen. Each bonfire lasts for 30 minutes.
The best place to view the festival is from the Nakagyo Ward, in the center of the city. Many hotels have Daimonji specials where, for a fee, you can see all five fires. Many people also like to go to the Kamo River, between Sanjo and Imadegawa Streets, for an excellent view of the initial fires.

Ochūgen and Obon

Chūgen (中元), also Ochūgen (お中元), is an annual event in Japan on July 15, when people give gifts to their superiors and acquaintances. One of the three days that form the sangen (三元^?) of Daoism, it is sometimes considered a Zassetsu in the Japanese calendar. Originally it was an annual event for giving gifts to the ancestral spirits.

Obon (お盆^?) or just Bon (盆^?) is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist-Confucian custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori.

The festival of Obon lasts for three days; however its starting date varies within different regions of Japan.

When the lunar calendar was changed to the Gregorian calendar at the beginning of the Meiji era, the localities in Japan reacted differently and this resulted in three different times of Obon. "Shichigatsu Bon" (Bon in July) is based on the solar calendar and is celebrated around 15 July in eastern Japan (Kantō region such as Tokyo, Yokohama and the Tohoku region), coinciding with Chūgen. "Hachigatsu Bon" (Bon in August) is based on the lunar calendar, is celebrated around the 15th of August and is the most commonly celebrated time. "Kyu Bon" (Old Bon) is celebrated on the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, and so differs each year. "Kyu Bon" is celebrated in areas like the northern part of the Kantō region, Chūgoku region, Shikoku, and the Ryukyu Islands.

These three days are not listed as public holidays but it is customary that people are given leave.^[1]