Obon is one of most important summer events in Japan. It is a time where families honor the sprits of their ancestors and welcome them for a short visit home.
One tradition is to send relatives back to their other worlds with a small lantern to guide them. Usually hundreds of personalized lanterns are floated down rivers or lakes by relatives at numerous lantern-floating ceremonies (灯籠流し) throughout Japan. But because of the Coronavirus, mass public gatherings have been suspended for the time being.
As a substitute, this year five large lanterns were lit at Hirosawa Pond, with the writing “Myriad Spirits of the Three Realms”; these lanterns with this expression are a way to commemorate everyone, en masse.
As the priests prayed at dusk for those who have passed away, a beautiful moment was created, one that will have to do for these unusual times.
今年は、コロナウイルスのために、灯篭流しは中止になりました。
代わりに、今年は広沢池で5つの大きな提灯が点灯されました。それには、「三界萬霊」と書かれていました。 これは、この式でみんなを一斉に祈念する方法です。
僧侶たちが亡くなった人々のために夕暮れ時に祈り、この異常な時代でもしなければならないことを行うことで、美しい瞬間が作り出されました。