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8/1/2006

August - A time to spend with family and old friends

Filed under: - weblog @ 2:09 pm

The Bon season is coming. Bon, or o-bon, is a three-day Buddhist festival to remember those of our ancestors and family who have passed away. The Bon generally starts on August 13th and ends on the 15th, during which time the souls of the departed come back to this world for a short visit. In modern Japan, many companies designate the Bon as a summer vacation of sorts which leads to some Japanese regarding the Bon as holiday season rather than as a religious observance. If you are from visiting Japan, it may not be easy to fully comprehend the meaning of the Bon.

When staying in the United States, I learned that the origins of Halloween lay in an old Celtic tradition that believed that the souls of the dead sometimes came back to this world. I simply connected the story to the origin of the Bon, and said to an American friend, “In Japan we have the Bon festival with similar origins to Halloween. We believe the souls of the dead return to this world during the Bon season in August and many Japanese travel to their hometowns to celebrate this event with their family.” Listening to my explanation, she seemed to be confused, but commented, “Your country’s tradition sounds like our Christmas or Thanksgiving, rather than Halloween.” Then, I was struck by the idea that the Bon event was not just an event commemorating ancestors and the dead. For me, the Bon has always been a precious time to realize the ties I share with family and friends. During the Bon, my home town gets crowded with people who come back from bigger towns and cities. I enjoy the family reunion parties and unexpected meetings with old classmates from my school days.

The snack of choice at such tea parties is often tiny dry sweet cakes, or “higashi” in Japanese. Sold by Japanese confectionery shops, these special dry cakes are shaped like everyday summer items and plants and if eaten while chatting with old friends or family, these pretty morsels help the precious memories of bygone summers come flooding back.

On the first and last nights of the Bon, we light lanterns as either a welcome or farewell sign for the souls of the deceased. Lighting the farewell lanterns makes me particularly sad but, thankful for time in which I could solidify the ties with my loved ones, I enjoy saying “See you next summer.” Thus, my Bon season ends amidst a feeling of modest joy at having added another memory of summer spent with my loved ones alive in this world and those who have passed to another.

[Higashi]
A dry sweet cake in the shape of seasonal plants and summertime items - usually served at the Japanese tea ceremony.
*Raku-gan in the shape of a shell:
Main ingredients: sugar, and starch
*Agar Jelly in the shape of a flower:
Main ingredients: sugar, agar, and starch syrup

by Sawako Fujii

8月のお菓子
お盆とお干菓子

　お盆の季節が近付いてきた。先祖や亡くなった家族の霊を供養を行う3日間の仏教行事である。お盆の期間は8月13日から15日まで。この期間、なくなった人々の魂はこの世に戻ってくるのだという。現代の日本においては、多くの企業がお盆を夏休みとしており、そのせいか、お盆を宗教行事ではなく、休日と考えている人もいる。そんなお盆の意味を理解するのは、海外から来た人にとって難しいことなのではないだろうか。
　アメリカに住んでいた時に、ハロウィーンの起源は死人の魂が地上に戻ってくるというケルト人の言い伝えにある、ということを聞いた。単純に、この話とお盆を結び付けた私は、アメリカ人の友人にこう話した。「日本にも、ハロウィーンと共通点のあるお盆というお祭りがあるんだけど。日本では、亡くなった人の魂は8月のお盆のシーズンに帰ってくることになっている。この時期、たくさんの人がふるさとに里帰りして、家族と一緒にお盆を過ごすのよ。」私の説明を聞いて、友人は理解できない様子だったが、こうコメントした。「それはハロウィーンというより、クリスマスや感謝祭に似ているように思えるけど。」その時、ふと思ったのは、お盆は単に先祖や亡くなった人を供養するだけの伝統行事だけではないのかな、ということだった。
そういえば、これまで、私にとってのお盆とは、いつも家族や友人たちとのつながりを実感する大切な時間だった。お盆の期間、私の故郷の町は、都会から里帰りしてきた人々でにぎやかになる。楽しみなのは、家族に再会し、昔のクラスメートにばったり出会ったりすること。家族や友人たちとの楽しい集まりが、私のお盆の思い出を彩っている。そんな夏のティーパーティーには、干菓子が合う。和菓子屋メーカー各社から夏の小物や植物をかたどった干菓子を販売されているが、これらの愛らしいお菓子は、家族や友人とのおしゃべりの合間、大切な夏の記憶をよみがえらせてくれるだろう。
　お盆の初日と最後の日の夜は、迎え火あるいは送り火をともす。亡くなった人々の魂を歓迎する、あるいは送り出すための灯火だが、送り火をともす時、私は特に切ない気分になる。大切な家族や友人と一緒に過ごせたことに感謝しつつ、こう言うしかない。「来年の夏までさようなら。」こうして、私のお盆は終わる。あの世、そしてこの世の親しい人達と新しい夏の思い出を持てたことに、ささやかな幸せを感じつつ。

[干菓子情報]
*貝がらをかたどった落雁
主な材料：砂糖、でんぷん
*花をかたどった寒天ゼリー
主な材料：砂糖、寒天、水あめ


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