Salinas Obon Festival
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.