Obon 2010 Salt Lake City, Utah
The annual Obon festival was last weekend at the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple. We try to go every year as a tradition. It's always fun to see all of the colorful kimonos and watch the dancing the we used to do when we were younger.
I'm trying to post these from my phone while I lay here sick in bed. Forgive me if the formatting is off, I'll fix it later.
Obon always starts with the Ogden Taiko Drum group doing their awesome demonstration. This video does no justice since you have to be there to feel the drums as they build momentum in the pieces.
After the drums, it's on to the dancing. Reverend Hirano leads the group into the circle to the Obon no Uta song. this year they had to do it three times because there were so many dancers. I might be wrong but I think they also made circle bigger this year extending further down 200 South St.
The last three songs are open for audience participation, which we always do. I have these songs and their dances memorized. It makes me happy to stand out there next to my Mom, my sister, my boys, and neices and nephews and pass down the Obon tradition to another generation.
And then, Obon ends just as it began with the whole crowd dancing to the same Obon no Uta song.
