DELRAY BEACH — The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens will celebrate the 33rd annual Bon Festival in one enlivening evening Aug. 14.
This uplifting festival is inspired by Obon, Japan’s traditional three-day holiday honoring ancestors and thanking them for the quality of life enjoyed by the living.
The evening features taiko drum performances, traditional Japanese folk dancing and a street fair with games and vendor booths. Guests are invited to purchase hand-crafted lanterns to write a special message to passed loved ones.
Fireworks end each year’s Bon Festival.
The highlight of the evening will begin at sunset when Morikami Pond, surrounded by the Roji-en garden, will be transformed into a tranquil sea of lighted lanterns that, in accordance with Japanese custom, guide the departure of ancestors’ souls who have come for a brief visit among the living. A special fireworks display will cap the enchanting evening.
Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom honoring the departed spirits of one’s ancestors. The celebration of Obon lasts for three days and ends with Tōrō Nagashi – the illumination of lanterns. This symbolically signals the ancestral spirits’ return to the world of the dead.
The lantern bottom is usually made of wood or woven rice straw, and paper is used as the lantern sleeve. Because Tōrō Nagashi causes pollution, many cities and towns stopped practicing this tradition.
There are only a few large scale Tōrō Nagashi activities left in Japan. One of them is in George Sukeji Morikami’s home town, Miyazu. Therefore, it is significant that the Morikami Museum also keeps this tradition.
The Morikami Museum’s Tōrō Nagashi is unique. Guests are welcomed to write messages on a lantern sleeve.
Lantern sleeves for the Tōrō Nagashi ceremony will be on sale starting at 4 p.m. the night of the event. The cost is $10 per sleeve. There are a limited number of sleeves available and they cannot be purchased in advance.
Tickets purchased online before Aug. 13 are $12 for adults, $5 for kids (ages 4-17), free for museum members & kids 3 and under. Tickets are the gate are $15 for adults, $6 for kids (ages 4-17), free for museum members & kids 3 and under.
Please note that the Morikami will be closed during normal business hours to prepare for the evening’s event.