The Japanese Obon Festival: Como Review
A post discussing my experience at the Japanese Obon Festival at Como in St. Paul, MN in August of 2021.
I’ve written about free things to do around the Twin Cities for years, and one of those things is the Japanese Obon Festival which is historically held the third Sunday in August at Como Park in St. Paul. Like most everything, it was cancelled in 2020. In 2021, they decided to only do a small water lantern release as opposed to the full festival.
This was my first time attending this event, and it was the first time I left my house to attend any event in over a year. In full disclosure, I decided to go to this event because one of my cousins currently works at Como. Also in play, it helped that Como has required masks both inside and outside while also using a reservation system for attendees. This may seem like overkill to the people who are pretending the pandemic is over, but for people who are grounded in reality, these are necessary precautions during an unprecedented global pandemic that lingers still.
Full text of sign:
What is the purpose of the lanterns?
According to Buddhist tradition and Japanese folk belief, the souls of the dead may interact with the living. At the time of the Obon (typically mid-August), ancestral spirits are said to revisit their families for three days. Families pay their respects at gravesites by placing offerings of food & drink on a tray (bon) before an altar. They also light lanterns or small fires outside the house to guide the souls symbolically home.
Neighborhood folk dances known as bon odori are held as part of the celebration of both family and community. On the last evening of Obon, lanterns again guide the spirits back to their resting place. In some communities, these lanterns are released in the river to float down to the sea.
We celebrate our own version of the Obon Festival here as an opportunity for Minnesota families to immerse themselves in in traditional Japanese activities, food and music. The festival culminates at dusk with the Bon Odori dance followed by lantern launching in the Japanese Garden & Frog pond.
Full text of sign:
Japanese Obon Festival
Only for the unique experience of Obon - the floating lanterns of ancestral remembrance in the Charlotte Partridge Ordway Japanese Garden on August 18, 2019 - visitors for the first time will begin their evening journey entering through the new woodland garden exit. The gently curving walk will pass by the 1990 Japanese Tea House, Tea Garden and niwaki (sculpted) Austrian Pines, entering the main sansui (mountain water) Japanese Garden from around the prominent tanamomo (shaped pruning) - lantern hill where first views of the lighted floating lanterns will appear. Interpretative guides will be present to assist with wayfinding and questions throughout the Charlotte Partridge Ordway Japanese Garden.
That second sign was a lot of words trying to explain how to navigate the Japanese Garden area to see the lanterns. To be honest, I find the sign confusing, but it was fairly simple to navigate in real life. The way the entrances and exits were set up to check reservations and verify mask compliance, there left little doubt on how to enter. Once on the path, the area is small enough to not get lost even without markings showing which way to go.
From some of the photos I shared online, my friends thought the event had low attendance. Since I’ve never been to one of these before, I have no reference to compare it. I tried to only post aesthetically pleasing shots of the event on social media and cut out the random people milling about in most of the photos. While there were quite a few people attending the event, I did feel I was able to appreciate the event without anyone being in my socially distant bubble.
While these photos taken at dusk might not be the best to show what to expect in the Japanese Garden, the fading sunlight really helped the focus shift to the glowing lanterns.
A worker used a long stick to keep the floating lanterns from bunching up into a standstill.
Even without lit lanterns floating on water, the Japanese Garden is a beautiful setting. The Obon Festival lanterns added another layer to the aesthetic.
With the glowing lights from both the roving floating lanterns and the stationary stone lanterns, the vibe was strong.
Beyond the atmosphere of the lights from the lanterns, the natural aspects also added to the mood. The sculptural trees, lily pads, bushes, and stones all helped remind me of the beauty in this world.
Outside of the Japanese Garden, people were also set up around the Frog Pond to watch the lanterns on the water there. Music emanated from the gazebo (hidden behind the trees on the left from the above photo angle and shown in the photo below).
Even with workers helping push the lanterns, they ultimately formed a line on the water as if wanting to be touching each other side-by-side as opposed to scattered about individually. The transition from daytime to nighttime really let the lanterns shine bright and take center stage. It was also neat to see the Conservatory lit up against the dusky sky as I usually only frequent it during daylight hours.
While there were people in the Japanese Garden and around the Frog Pond while I was there, I was able to pluck some minutes of respite where I could get a reprieve from the things weighing on me and focus on the moment. The music coming from the gazebo never sounded overpowering and beyond being outside my house around other people for the first time in over a year, I wasn’t overstimulated by the event.
The light shifted from sunshine to moonshine with the radiance of the lanterns adding to the ambiance. The sounds of nature and the music playing were pleasant and not too loud. The space was open enough to feel secure with ample area to find a private place to partake in the event. Overall, I am glad that I attended, and I will put it on my Things To Do list for the future.
~The Overstimulated