Bon Odori (in Japanese O-bon [お盆] or simply Bon [盆]) is a festival that takes place annually during the summer (between July and August in Japan). Despite being similar to the day of the dead, during Bon, traditional cheerful music is played and, above all, an atmosphere of joviality, gratitude and general participation prevails. Many families take the opportunity to meet again during Bon, returning from the big cities to their places of origin.
Bon is also celebrated in communities of Japanese immigrants and their descendants and friends outside Japan: For example in the states of São Paulo, Goiás, Pará, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pernambuco, Bahia, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Brasília, in Brazil; and in the states of Oregon, Washington and California in the United States.
Copyright ©Marcelo Pereira.