What would you do if Halloween,
Thanksgiving, and Memorial day were all combined together into one
holiday? Would you forgo that new holiday because of the dark
spiritual elements? Would you ignore the spiritual aspects and
celebrate family time? This is the dilemma many Christians in Japan
face each summer as Obon, the Buddhist holiday for honoring
the spirits of dead ancestors, is celebrated beginning on either July
15th or August 15th (depending on the region
where one resides), and continuing after for three days. Obon
is one of the three major holidays celebrated in Japan each year with
strong emphasis made upon family gatherings, feasts, and dances to
summon as well as worship dead ancestor spirits returning to earth.
(Similar to Dia de Muertos in Mexico as well as parts of the USA
now.)
With Japan being a group-oriented
society it is expected that much pressure be exerted upon everyone to
partake in this holiday. (Imagine if you told your church friends
that you refused to celebrate Thanksgiving!) The spiritual climate in
Japan during this time can feel quite heavy and ominous over the
entire country, which likely has to do with invoking 'spirits'. Some
Christians choose to forgo the spiritual elements, refusing to
worship dead spirits, but will go and spend time with their families
in a “Thanksgiving” like manner. Other Christians are okay with
participating in the holiday and think nothing of being involved in
pagan practices either out of ignorance, defiance, or 'liberty'. Very
few if any churches provide an alternative to help Christians at this
time. In the USA often times when Halloween comes many churches will
do “Reformation Day”, “All Saints Day”, or “Harvest
Festivals”. In Japan when Obon arrives there appears to be a
time of silence as no one really knows what to do. New Christians
likely talk to their pastor to see what their options are or avoid
the issue completely. Such is the strength of societal pressures in
Japan upon the individual.
Personally, in one of my language
classes I told a teacher that I am Christian and would not be
participating in any Obon festivals in class. This was met
with shock followed by the explanation that it is just a fun holiday,
but that no one really believes in spirits anymore. Ironically, on
the day that I missed out on, they learned the Bon Odori,
which is known as the dance to welcome the dead spirits! On another
class occasion we were to make 'wish' cards which are tied to a tree.
Essentially these are 'prayer requests' to certain deities. Again, I
was told that it was just a fun tradition, but that they did not
really believe it. They then went around the room and had everyone
share what their wish was. Of course when they got to me, I didn't
say anything for awhile. Then after much prodding, I told them that
my wish was that many Japanese people would become Christians! That
was met by much reaction! This was quite a pressure-filled experience
for me, but was only a small experience of what it is like for
Japanese Christians here in this society. Before we jump up and say,
“Well I would have told them...!”, I think it is good to pray for
our Japanese Christian brethren and realize what it is like in a
country that is only one percent Christian! Though the pressures here
may be difficult, the good side-effect is that most Christians here
are extremely dedicated to their beliefs once they completely
understand them. Please pray for Japan as well as Japanese Christians
as they face Obon each year!
(Prayer Tree - Tanzaku)
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