The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-02-23
The Feast Of Lanterns.


The annual festival called the feast
of lanterns is one of the most peculiar
of the Buddhist ceremonials among the
japanese, belonging more particularly
among the working than among the
official classes. Buddhism in Japan is
remarkable for the extraordinary ven
Grafton of the memory of the dead
which it inculcates. Graves are ha-
bitually kept clean and decked with
flowers, and nearly every grave in that
faith has a cup of rice and jar of tea
water standing by for the use of the
departed spirit on its supposed frequent
visits to this world. These graves,
among groves of ornamental trees and
Towering plants, beautify the hillsides
about Nagasaki. Besides this ordinary
care, Buddhism also inculcates the Gel
ebration by the relatives of deceased
persons of distinct commemorative ser.
vices upon the first, third and seventh
anniversaries. In the case of distinct
personages or of the heads of families
these are kept up to the fiftieth or even
one hundred and fiftieth anniversaries,
but as so the vast majority of ordinary
deaths all obligations of propitiary GER
emonies are discharged after the sew
enth anniversary by one common and
general feast of lanterns. This is held
as three days holiday by al, classes
about the first day of September an
nually, and the people of the outlying
country flock into the city to attend it
and enjoy its accompanying visiting,
dressed in their best attire.
On the first of the three days the
ghosts particularly honored are be-
lieved to leave the spirit-land on re-
turn visit. Accordingly all the house
doors are set wide open, and the head
of each family in his best clothes sits
in his reception-room, bowling at inter
walls and uttering words of welcome to
his invisible guests as they come in,
conscientious persons who have large
ghostly acquaintance continuing this
ceremony well into the night. BY the
next day all the spirits are supposed to
have arrived, and a small cabinet
apartment found in every Buddhist
dwelling (called the household temple
and set apart for the use of the dead J
is decorated with flowers and set out
with rice, fruits, wines, and SO on. Sit
ting in the adjoining room, the living
members hold their own accompanying
feast, which is kept up through the
second day and most of the third. In
the night of the third day the ghosts
have to 60 back, and at nightfall all the
population that can move betake them
selves to the graves, which they deck
with bright paper banners and many
colored lanterns, lighting up the latter
as the day fades, so that the departing
visitors may have their last hours as
pleasant as possible. AS midnight ap-
proaches the males form into process.
sions, every member carrying aloft q
lighted lantern on bamboo pole about
ten feet long, and thus they carry
down the hillsides to the sea the boats
in which the spirits are to depart
These boats, varying from two to ter
and even thirty feet in length, are dec
Grated with flags and streamers, pro
vided with stock Of provisions ant
with money to pay ferriage over The
StyX, not emitting lantern or two t.
how the way, are then launched and
thrust forth together, carrying the
spirits to the far West, where goot
/, Buddhists are believed to pass theil
time in happy oblivion. This act
blended with outcries, beating of gongs
chanting by priests, and nearly naket
figures rushing to and go in their ex
element, concludes the weird bu
touching ceremonials.
, Misunderstanding.