Please join us on Sunday, June 30, 2023 from 12:00-5:00pm for the Salinas Obon Festival. The festival will be held at the Buddhist Temple of Salinas located at 14 California Street.
From the Buddhist Temple of Salinas:
Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom in which we honor the spirits of our ancestors. It has been celebrated in Japan for over 500 years. Families return to ancestral family places and visit ancestral graves. It is a time of reunion for families and friends, a time of reflection on how our lives are built on the foundations of those who came before us, a time of gratitude. This is why Obon includes a dance of celebration, the Obon Odori.
As Buddhists in America, we carry on this tradition in Salinas. We observe the traditional religious services and visit the graves of our family and friends at this time. But over the decades, like the other temples of the Buddhist Churches of America network, we also hold a separate large community event where we open to the public and share examples of Japanese cultural activities. We have demonstrations of martial arts, flower arranging, bonsai, and tea ceremony. San Jose Taiko comes to perform for us every year. And we spend many hours preparing lots of great food for everyone to enjoy. We conclude the event with the traditional Obon Odori (Dance.)
For more information, please call 831-424-4105. Visit the Buddhist Temple of Salinas.
