Thanks to everyone for supporting our Obon Festival
Click on the picture to get to our Obon page.
Thanks for a very successful Obon, especially to the BRUINS Organization!
It takes the effort of many people to make any event successful. Thanks to everyone who came out to help set-up, take-down, work in a booth, sell tickets, prepare and sell food, or just coming! We had lots of dancers both night!
Congratulations to the Raffle winners:
Congratulations to the Raffle winners:
- Sherle Fujimoto (iPad with Retina Display)
- Kiyoshi Takeda ($200 cash)
- Connie Nishiyama (Keurig Coffee Brewer)
July 13 & 14, 2013 Obon Festival Summary
Obon honors the memory of relatives and friends who have passed away. Obon Family Service will be held on Sunday, July 7th at 10:00 am in conjunction with the monthly memorial service. Guest speaker will be Rev. Kenjun Kawawata from West Covina Honganji Buddhist Temple.Hatsubon Service will be held for families that have lost a loved one since the last obon on Saturday, July 13th at 3:00.
Obon comes from the story of Maudgalyana, a disciple of the Buddha, who sees his mother suffering in "hell". Maudgalyana goes to the Buddha for advice and is instructed to make a gift (a vegetarian meal) to his fellow monks. He did so, and immediately his mother is saved from the miseries of hell. Overjoyed, he and his fellow monks clapped their hands and danced in joy. Obon, therefore, is an occasion for rejoicing in liberating others and ourselves from suffering.
Food booths served BBQ chicken teriyaki, chow mein, sushi, and snow cones. A few game booths will help entertain the youngsters. Festivities begin at 4:00 and end at 9:00 on Saturday and 8:30 on Sunday.
Each evening, dancers from around the Southland gathered around the yagura and danced the traditional Obon Odori (dances). Dancing is scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm each evening. Obon odori is to dance for joy. Everyone is invited to join in to "just dance" and be accepted as we are. Obon Dance Practices will be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7:00-8:00PM in the temple parking lot beginning on June 19th.
Taiko Performances are scheduled each evening during the dancing break (around 7:00 PM). Saturday will feature Matsuri Taiko. Sunday will feature Chikara Taiko from Centenary Methodist Church.
For more information about the Obon Religious events, contact Reverend Rosenthal. For information regarding the Obon Festivities, contact Jeannie Toshima.
To see a total listing of all obon festivals, go to Japanese-City.com. This site also has practice schedules also.
