OSU Special Collections & Archives Research Center
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Child attendee at Obon Festival, Portland, Oregon, 1996

Creator
Photographer
Date
  • 1996
Description
  • Obon Festival is a Japanese Buddhist celebration held in the summer to honor one’s ancestors. According to a Buddhist legend, a disciple of Buddha had a meditative vision of his mother suffering in the World of Hungry Ghosts. Buddha instructed him to provide a feast for the monks returning from their retreats. After this act of kindness, his mother was released and danced for joy. To honor this story, participants in the festival take part in a Bon Odori (Obon dance), hang lanterns, visit memorials, and offer food. The first record of this celebration in the United States was in San Francisco in 1931. Since then, the festival has traveled along the west coast, and Portland was no exception. The Oregon Buddhist Temple annually hosts an Obon Festival where more experienced Bon Odori dancers lead groups in traditional dances. They also provide entertainment and vendors such as lion dancers. The emphasis is on ignoring ego and dancing for joy.
Subject
Work Type
Location
Identifier
  • p345:Obon-Festival-1996-04
Local Collection Name
Local Collection ID
  • P345
Institution
Submission Date
  • 06/24/2020
Modified
  • 10/14/2022
Collections

APA

OSU Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Oregon State University. (26 Mar 2025). Child attendee at Obon Festival, Portland, Oregon, 1996 Retrieved from https://oregondigital.org/concern/images/fx71d207k

MLA

OSU Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Oregon State University. "Child attendee at Obon Festival, Portland, Oregon, 1996" Oregon Digital. 26 Mar 2025. https://oregondigital.org/concern/images/fx71d207k

Chicago

OSU Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Oregon State University. "Child attendee at Obon Festival, Portland, Oregon, 1996" Oregon Digital. Accessed 2025-03-26. https://oregondigital.org/concern/images/fx71d207k

Wiki

{{cite web | url= https://oregondigital.org/concern/images/fx71d207k | title= Child attendee at Obon Festival, Portland, Oregon, 1996 |author= |accessdate= 2025-03-26 |publisher= }}
Data Sources
Footer Number Term External URI
Williams, Chuck, 1943-2016 http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n80156869
2 Williams, Chuck, 1943-2016 http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n80156869
Festivals http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85047932
Ullambana http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85139438
5 color photographs http://vocab.getty.edu/aat/300128359
6 photographs http://vocab.getty.edu/aat/300046300
7 Portland >> Clackamas/Multnomah/Washington Counties >> Oregon >> United States https://sws.geonames.org/5746545/
Chuck Williams Photographs (P 345) http://opaquenamespace.org/ns/localCollectionName/p_345
Oregon State University http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n80017721

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