Obon or just Bon is a fusion of the ancient Japanese belief in ancestral spirits and a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon Odori.
A depiction of Obon in the late Edo period
Kyoto's Gozan no Okuribi bonfire lit during the Obon festival
The shōryō uma (精霊馬, "spirit horse") or ushi uma (牛馬, "cow horse"), vegetable decorations made for O-bon.
Participants place candlelit lanterns in the Sasebo River during Obon.
The Ghost Festival or Hungry Ghost Festival, also known as the Zhongyuan Festival in Taoism and the Yulanpen Festival in Buddhism, is a traditional festival held in certain East and Southeast Asian countries. According to the Chinese calendar, the Ghost Festival is on the 15th night of the seventh month.
A paper effigy of the Ghost King in Shatin, Hong Kong
Food offerings for the Ghost Festival
A young girl performing during Ghost Festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The red seats in front are reserved for ghosts.
Chinese lotus lanterns floating in a river