Obon Festival

It's that time of year again.  Towards the end of August, Okinawa celebrates Obon to honor the spirits of their ancestors.  You can read more about the festival in last year's post.  This year we were prepared to run down the street to watch the dancers.

Like all eisa we've seen on Okinawa, the music is live.  Here's a photo of the singers and musicians that were performing this evening. The speakers on top of the cart assure that you can hear them from blocks and blocks away, if you somehow manage to miss the pounding drum beats that reverberate throughout the area.

The drummers as they moved down the street to prepare for another performance.

There were both male and female dancers this year.  Each group had their own unique dance.

We always enjoy watching the eisa dancers during Obon and look forward to celebrating again with them next year.  One of those unique experiences we're taking advantage of as much as possible while we live here!  :)

---Arielle

P.S.  Check out Brandon's short videos of Obon on Youtube: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.