Festivals
Obon Dancers, Picture Butte, 1949.
Galt Museum & Archives, 19790284018.
The Buddhists of southern Alberta are of the Jodo shinshu Buddhist sect. There are three significant festivals or services observed by the Buddhists of southern Alberta. These include the Hanamatsuri, the Obon and the Hoonko. Boys and Girls festivals are also marked, as is the New Year.
Sunday School children in Hanamatsuri Concert, 1956.
Courtesy of Mac and Reyko Nishiyama.
Hanamatsuri - Flower Festival
The Hanamatsuri is held in the spring and celebrates the birth of Prince Siddhartha who later became Shakyamuni Buddha. It is perhaps the most ornate and colourful because young children take part in the festival. The children offer flowers to a statue of a baby Buddha and pour sweet tea over him. The tea represents the sweet rain that fell on April 8, the day of his birth over 2500 years ago.
Obon Dancers, Picture Butte, 1949.
Galt Museum & Archives, 19790284018.
Obon - Festival of Souls
The Obon is a memorial service held in July or August. It is a day on which ancestors are honoured and the deceased remembered, a Buddhist festival day from ancient times.
The Obon service at the temple is usually preceded by a service at the graveyard, in which the persons who have died in the previous year are honoured. Gravesites and headstones are cleaned and decorated with fresh flowers. There are usually many people at the service at the graveyard since people come home for the occasion and for a family reunion. Outdoor dances are held, called bon-odori.
For more information on bon odori, go to "Dance" in the "Traditional Skills" section
Hoonko - Memorial Service for St. Shinran
The Hoonko, held in December and January, is a memorial service for the founder of the Buddhist sect Jodo shinshu, St. Shinran, a son of a nobleman of the Fujiwara clan who was born on January 16, 1173.
In the 1930s in Raymond, Hoonko used to be held over two days - all day Saturday and Saturday night service until midnight - children took blankets to the temple and slept there. In the morning, the ladies would make breakfast of rice and miso soup with another service starting around 7:00 am.
After breakfast, there was chanting of some of the important works of Shinran Shonin (which means Saint in Japanese) until noon and then all went home. Most Buddhists in Ontario, British Columbia and southern Alberta follow the Jodo shinshu teachings.
Girl’s Temple ceremonial dress with a crown of the phoenix bird, ca 1929-1979.
Galt Museum & Archives, P20060018003.
Girls Festival
The Festival of Dolls – hina matsuri – is celebrated on March 3 and is the day on which wishes are expressed for the future happiness of girls.
A set of dolls dressed in costumes which were worn in the royal court in ancient times are displayed together with peach blossoms as decoration.
Additional information for this item is available on the Galt Museum & Archives website.
Boy's Day Diorama , ca 1930-1960 is intended to bring “great strength” to the boy receiving it.
Galt Museum & Archives, P19738897000.
Boys Festival
The Boys' Festival – tango no sekku – is celebrated May 5 and is the day on which wishes are expressed for the hope that each boy in the family will grow up healthy and strong.
Warrior figures are set up in the house and huge fish-like streamers are fastened to poles for decoration.
Additional information for this item is available on the Galt Museum & Archives website.
Mochi Mallet, ca 1930-1950.
Galt Museum & Archives, P19790273000. Photo by David Tanaka.
New Year’s Day
The Japanese are very busy in the days leading up to New Year, January 1. The home has to be cleaned inside and out, and all debts paid. Special foods have to be made before New Year’s Day. Family members dress up in their best clothes and eat a rice cake soup for breakfast. It is considered unlucky to be rushing around on New Year’s Day - it is believed that if you are not ready by New Year’s Day, then you will be rushed all through the year.
Mochi making was an annual family or community event which happened just before the New Year. Special sweet rice was steamed, placed into a wooden vessel and then pounded into a dough with a wooden mochi mallet. Small cakes were shaped and eaten as a part of New Year’s celebrations.
In the 1920s and 1930s with no close neighbours and only horse and buggy for transportation, rural Japanese would take turns hosting New Year’s parties. They feasted and drank, sang and danced almost until dawn. They would sleep on the floor with mats filled with straw, and go home the next day. The month of January was a month-long celebration for the Japanese.
Additional information for this item is available on the Galt Museum & Archives website.