WEST COVINA — West Covina Buddhist Temple’s 2015 Obon Festival — a day full of Japanese culture, cuisine and, of course, the exciting and spiritually meaningful Bon Odori dancing — is scheduled for Saturday, June 27, from 1 to 9 p.m.
“It is the day we remember all our loved ones, friends and family who have passed, but leaving for us the light and life of Dharma,” said a temple spokesperson. “We celebrate the good times. We learn from the bad times. In Buddhism we take it all together, just as we are taken all together just as we are. And it is all summed up at the end in the Bon Odori dancing as the stars and moon shines overhead …
“For those who’ve never been to an Obon, it is an incredibly fun experience with the booths, cultural presentations from bonsai, flower arrangement, martial arts, taiko drumming and more. Plenty of games, like bingo … And let’s not forget the food, from the dessert tables, our temple’s famous chicken teriyaki and the equally famous tamale booth.”
The tentative performance schedule is as follows:
3 p.m.: Shinkendo
3:30 p.m.: Karate
4 p.m.: Minyo Dancers
4:30 p.m.: Judo
5 p.m.: Kendo
5:30 p.m.: Kishin Daiko
6:30 p.m.: Manto-e Service (those who have lost loved ones in the previous year offer incense)
7 p.m.: Bon Odori (public is invited to participate)
West Covina Buddhist Temple is located at 1203 W. Puente Ave. in West Covina. For more information, call (626) 689-1040 or visit www.livingdharma.org or the temple’s Facebook page.