Colombo celebrates ‘Bon Odori’ 2011 with grandeur

Annually, the Japanese community in Sri Lanka gathers to celebrate ‘Bon Odori,’ the Japanese Summer Festival, in high spirit of joy and friendship, bringing a bit of Japan to the heart of Colombo.

This glamorous festival which has steadily grown popular over the years was attended this time on the 9 July by a gathering of over 1,000 people, including Japanese nationals, Sri Lankans and other expatriates in Colombo sharing the excitement in a truly colourful atmosphere.

This momentous cultural exchange which takes place every July in Colombo during the ‘Bon Week’ was organised by the Japanese Embassy together with the Japanese Solidarity Association of Sri Lanka, and the Jap-anese Graduates Alumni Associ-ation of Sri Lanka (JAGAAS), providing friends and families a chance to indulge in the festivities filled with traditional Japanese flair at the Merc-antile Cricket Association Grounds.

With the word ‘Bon’ meaning welcoming ancestors’ souls and holding a memorial service for the souls, ‘Bon Odori’ is a traditional summer holiday to honour the spirits of one’s deceased ancestors where it later evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to their hometowns  and visit their ancestors’ graves.

This custom has been popular in Japan for over 500 years and people traditionally organise ‘Bon Odori’ in several communities all over Japan in the summer. The style of celebration varies in many aspects from region to region where each region has its own local ‘Bon Odori,’ dancing to traditional Japanese music, while enjoying various Japanese sweetmeats and assortment of snacks. The music played is generally cheerful to welcome the ancestors’ souls in to a happy environment creating a wonderful ambience and the ‘Bon Dance’ is generally held at night because of the belief that the ancestors’ souls come back in the night.

Each year, ‘Bon Odori’ in Colombo gives the visitors a true glimpse to the exuberance and high spirits of the duty-bound Japanese community.

The summer kimono or yukata worn by many Japanese at the event adds colour, the cheerful air of music for the occasion adds the sounds and the many varieties of Japanese delicacies and cuisine offered by the premier Japanese restaurants in the city, Nihonbashi and Ginza Housen, add scents and flavour to this huge outdoor event as one would see in such a festival in Japan.

To make the festive mood an economically reasonable one, both restaurants geared up to serve the food at a highly discounted price on this day, which was a perfect complement to the night, as families lounged comfortably watching the dancers on the bright stage or mingled with friends.

For those who were seeking adventurous cuisine, Nihonbashi’s delicious ten sabi temaki, okonomiyaki, noodles with chicken and cabbage (yakisoba) and cucumber rolls (kappa maki) not leaving behind the wasabi ice-cream especially prepared for Nihonbashi by Ilgelato were a real treat.

Each visitor at the festival was presented with an elegant Japanese fan or Uchiwa, a custom straight out of the ‘Bon Odori’ in Japan.

 The event went further, with lucky draws by the many sponsors including ARS, Toyota Lanka, Aitken Spence, THAI Airways, Panasonic Softlogic, Il Gelato, Nihonbashi and Culinary Journeys with Dharshan.

The highlight of the night was the centre stage where the drumming and the dancing took place. The manner in which the Wadaiko – the Japanese drum – was played was very attractive to watch and the children got on to the stage eagerly to dance to their favourite Japanese cartoon songs, such as the theme songs of Maruko and Anpanman.

The festival was completed with activities for Japanese children playing the traditional games of ‘Kingyo Sukui,’ catching little fish with a net and ‘Yo-Yo Tsuri,’ where water balloons were yo-yoed around, with the latter including the voluntary efforts by the teachers of the Japanese School in Colombo, presenting a night in Colombo filled with the songs and sounds of the Japanese heartland, giving the opportunity  for many to experience and savour a Japanese Summer Festival right here with a cultural trip to another land.

This year, in remembrance of the victims of the tragic events back in March, visitors were invited to purchase charity stickers and t-shirts sending ‘Love From Lanka’.