Ullambana or Bon (festival), the Festival of All Souls in Mahayana Buddhism, celebrated in China, Korea, and Japan in honor of the dead, whose souls return to their former homes for the occasion. The origin of the Sanskrit name of the festival, Ullambana, is uncertain but appears in early Buddhist holy writings known as sutras. These stories tell how Sariputra and Mandgalyayana, the two principal disciples of the founder of Buddhism, Gautama Buddha, saved their mothers from needless suffering after death. From India, these stories honoring the dead reached China, a country already with a long tradition of ancestor worship. The Chinese assimilated certain Buddhist teachings into their ceremonies and began celebrating Ullumbana.
The return of the souls of the dead is celebrated by floating lanterns on water and by performing ceremonial dances. The souls so honored are both ancestors and the restless spirits of those who have died by accident. In Japan, the festival is called Bon and generally falls on August 13 through August 16 every year. During this period, family members return to their hometowns to visit the plots where ancestors are buried, ritually washing the gravestones and placing flowers and incense. Folk dancing, or bon-odori, and feasting usually accompany these rites.
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