Kambutsue
Kambutsue (sometimes also Kanbutsue , Japanese 灌 仏 会 ) is a Buddhist festival , Matsuri , which is held in Japan on April 8th . The occasion of the festival is Buddha's birthday . The festival held on the occasion of this holiday is also known as Hana-Matsuri , "Flower Festival". April 8th is also roughly the time the cherry blossom front reaches Tokyo .
In the temples a Hanamido , "flower hall" is set up, in which a flower-adorned statue of the newborn Buddha is set up. The temple visitors offer flower blossoms as an offering and sprinkle the head of the statue with amacha , a tea made from fermented hydrangea leaves . According to legend, it rained Amacha when Buddha was born. The tea is said to have magical powers. It is said to protect against evil spirits ( oni ), snakes and insects.
The shrines also host festive processions, during which the revelers wear colorful kimonos and floats are dragged or carried around town. A white elephant can often be seen on one of the wagons, with the Buddha child sitting on its back in a litter. The streets are decorated with lanterns and banners with cherry blossoms as a motif.
As with all Matsuri, there are numerous regional traditions, so the festivities in individual temples can differ.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bernard Trawicky / Ruth W. Gregory, Anniversaries and holidays. American Library Association, Chicago 2000 (5th ed.), P. 59
- ↑ Bun Nakajima / Rokuo Okada, Japanese etiquette - an introduction . Tokyo 1955, p. 131
literature
- Bun Nakajima / Rokuo Okada, Japanese etiquette - an introduction . Tokyo 1955
- Bernard Trawicky / Ruth W. Gregory, Anniversaries and Holidays. American Library Association, Chicago 2000 (5th ed.)
- Anita Ganeri, Buddhist festivals throughout the year . Mankato / Minn. 2003