Obon and Eisa...

Toward the end of each summer, the Okinawans celebrate Obon- a time when they believe the spirits of ancestors come back to earth. An Okinawan woman here said that her grandmother used to tell her if she didn't behave she would send her grandfather's spirit to haunt her. It's also a season of gift-giving. So imagine Christmas and Halloween combined. Anyway, during the season Eisa dancers will wander the neighborhoods beating drums, singing and dancing to welcome home the spirits. Those who lost a loved one that year might give the Eisa dancers an extra bit of money to welcome their spirits home. This is the troop that came through our neighborhood at 9:00 pm. We followed them through the streets with the rest of the crowd for about an hour. Very fun. Next week... the largest tug-o-war in the world... seriously.