Photo by Jesse U. Bair | For NJ Advance Media.

Soh Daiko will join Hoh Daiko once again in Seabrook, NJ for Seabrook Buddhist Temple’s 74th annual Obon Festival. We hope you can join us for a wonderful evening of dancing, drumming, and friendship!

Information reposted courtesy of Seabrook Buddhist Temple’s official Facebook Event:
Our 74th annual Obon Festival is fast approaching! There will be Taiko drumming, traditional Japanese Bon dancing, food and craft vendors. The temple will be open for Intro to Buddhism talks, and the meditation garden will be open for tours as well. Come join us for this free outdoor event! Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Lots to see and do for the whole family!

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: 4 – 9 p.m.

• 4 p.m. to close: Food booths and craft tables will be open.
• 4:00 p.m. – dusk: Temple Meditation Garden open for viewing. Memorial luminaries available for purchase.
• 4:00 p.m. Cherry Hill Ken-yu Kai: Kendo-Japanese Fencing and Swordsmanship
• 4:15-4:45 & 5:00-5:30 p.m. Mini lecture and Q&A on Buddhism in the Temple with Rev. Earl Ikeda
• 4:30 p.m. Shotokan Karate Academy: Traditional Japanese Karate Demonstration
• 5:00 p.m. Woodruff School Ace Music Performance
• 6:15 – 6:50 p.m. & 8:00 – 8:40 p.m.:
• Japanese folk dancing. Audience participation is encouraged.
• 6:50 – 8:00 p.m. Japanese taiko drumming will be performed by the Seabrook Buddhist Temple’s Hoh Daiko Drummers. There will be a special guest performances by the Soh Daiko Drummers of the New York Buddhist Church and Nen Daiko of the Ekoji Buddhist Temple, Fairfax Station, Virginia.

Funding for the Obon Festival has been made possible in part by the New Jersey Council on the Arts/Department of State, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Cumberland County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Cumberland County Cultural and Heritage Commission.

Obon is an annual Buddhist event intended to honor one’s ancestors. During this time, it is believed that the spirits of our ancestors return to this world to visit their relatives. Traditionally, lanterns (“obon,” in Japanese) are hung in front of one’s home to guide the spirits along their way.