Recreating the Japanese Obon Festival in the heart of Hanoi.

The Obon festival, one of Japan's most iconic festivals, will be recreated on August 9-10 at Times City (458 Minh Khai, Hanoi).

The highlight of the festival is the activities that are rich in Japanese culture: parades and performances of Bon Odori, Yosakoi, and other traditional Japanese dances; martial arts demonstrations (Kendo, Aikido, Judo, etc.); group and individual cosplay performances, and more.

As part of the festival, the fire offering ceremony and the lantern-lined path will be vividly recreated.

Many activities showcasing Japanese culture will be recreated at the festival (Illustrative image).

In addition, the Obon festival also features many other activities such as: manga exhibitions, Japanese fashion shows, Vietnamese-Japanese food spaces, game shows about Japanese animation and culture, etc.

The Obon festival has a similar meaning to the Vu Lan festival in Vietnam.

In Japan, the Obon festival is an annual event celebrated by people to remember their ancestors and reunite with their families. During this festival, lanterns are often hung in front of each house or on elevated platforms to guide the deceased back home. At the end of the festival, these lanterns are released into the rivers.

In the Kyoto region, the most distinctive activity of the festival is the fire offering ceremony, which expresses the reverence of descendants towards their ancestors. Accordingly, five large fires are lit on five mountains surrounding the area for about an hour.

According to the organizers, recreating the Obon festival promises to offer visitors many interesting experiences. This will be an opportunity for the public in Hanoi to learn about the country, people, and traditional culture of Japan.

The program was jointly organized by the Japanese Culture Club of Hanoi-Amsterdam High School and the Yotsuba Cultural Center.

Admission to the program is free.

According to Vietnam+