O-BON: It's time to dance!

O-bon is the traditional summer festival held between mid-July to mid-August to invite spirits of dead ancestors back home, hold a memorial service and then send the spirits back to the Pure Land. It is a time for showing our ancestors our appreciation for their contributions to our well-being.

Updates: September 1, 2022

Upcoming Events: 
  • THERE WILL BE NO BON DANCE PRACTICE IN SEPTEMBER. CLASSES RESUME IN OCTOBER
  • 7/25/22 - Updated events. NOTE: Additional yoga class available on Tuesdays from 9:00 - 10: 30 a.m.
Today: ​​​​
Key points for O-bon in Hakalau in 2022:
  • Observance of O-bon and participating in the bon dance encompasses honoring those who came before us, celebrating community, experiencing the joy of the moment, and adapting to change.
  • When Japanese immigrants arrived in Hawaii to work on the sugar plantations, they continued to observe and celebrate O-bon. Over time, they developed folk songs reflecting the plantation experience, referred to as Hole Hole Bushi. Some of these songs will be included in our bon dance, along with more traditional and new songs.
  • Okinawan immigrants, a sizable and important group in Hakalau, brought a distinctive style of bon dance to Hawaii. We will include some of these in our bon dance as well.
  • Lanterns at the Mission will guide the ancestors to the celebration. 
  • While many of us have been practicing our bon dances for months, NO EXPERIENCE IS NEEDED! You can follow the steps of the dancers in yukatas, or just follow the person in front of you if he/she seems to know what to do.
  • Good food, energetic dances and the grace of the Tsukikage Odorikai (Moonlight Dance Club) members, and dramatic taiko drumming of the Hilo Bon Club promise a good time for all.
For the Hakalau Kuleana, our responsibility is to care for the land, the people, and the culture. We are guided by cultural values of YESTERDAY: Engage in collective effort. Look out for each other. Honor hard work. Show respect for those who came before us. Aloha and Mālama `Aina. In 2021, Akiko Masuda added two more values to the list: Consistently show up. Whatever has to be done, jump in and do it!