お盆(Obon)

Obon is celebrated for three days, primarily from August 13 to 15 in most of Japan. In some regions using the lunar calendar, it may be celebrated in July instead. The August 15 date is the most widely observed, making mid-August the main Obon period.

Obon (Bon Festival) is a Japanese Buddhist custom that honors the spirits of deceased ancestors. It is believed that during this period, the spirits of ancestors return to visit their families. The festival combines Buddhist traditions with older animist practices and lasts about three days.

Obon is primarily a Japanese festival observed throughout Japan and by Japanese diaspora communities worldwide. Similar ancestor-honoring festivals exist in neighboring countries: Zhongyuan Festival (Ghost Festival) in China, and Chuseok in Korea.

Obon itself is not an official national public holiday in Japan, but many Japanese take vacation during this period (typically August 13-16). The 'Obon break' is one of the three major holiday periods in Japan (along with Golden Week and New Year).

Obon traditions include the Bon Odori (Bon Dance) performed at local festivals, lighting lanterns (chochin) to guide ancestral spirits, visiting family graves to clean and offer flowers, setting off floating lanterns on water (Toro Nagashi) to guide spirits back to the afterlife, and family reunions as people return to their hometowns.