Japanese Obon

Obon (お盆) is a Buddhist observance held in mid-July or mid-August (depending on regional lunar/solar tradition) honoring ancestral spirits believed to return to the living world during the festival days. Households light welcome fires (mukaebi) on the first evening to guide spirits home, and farewell fires (okuribi) on the last to send them back; bon-odori folk dances mark the public-square nights. The food framework centers on shojin ryori (精進料理), the vegetarian Buddhist temple cuisine prepared for altars and family meals during obon — dashi made from kombu and shiitake instead of bonito, deep flavor from miso, soy, and seasonal vegetables, no meat or fish, no garlic or onion. Obon dango (sweet rice dumplings) and seasonal summer fruits accompany altar offerings. The festival's most visible foodway is the cucumber-and-eggplant spirit horses (shōryō uma), carved with toothpick legs — cucumber for swift arrival, eggplant for slow return — though these are ritual objects, not eaten.