The St. Louis Republic., 1905-12-31

NNCE a year every japanese household remem-
hers its dead in kind of universal All
Saints Day and Memorial Day both in one.
The spirits Of the departed. both bad and good.
supposed to return to the scenes Of their former
lives. and their make great preparations
for their reception The graves are decorated with
lanterns and flowers set upon them: the otlor Of
incense fills the air where the offerings Of food
are made to the spirits.
The summer visitors at the japanese seaside
resorts may have noticed lying about the beach at
certain of the year number Of ARTICLES the
of which they may have been at a loss to under
stand-whitc wands. branches Of feathery bamboo.
queer little objects made of vegetables Cucum-
hers and egg plants with legs made Of white wood
and tails Of seaweed seem to represent some animal.
if children had been trying to construct Noahs
Ark from the kitchen garden.
Before every house where there has been a death
a fire Of hemp stalks is lighted. which each
member Of the family steps in order to ward of
diseases for the coming year White wands are
fixed the sand in front Of the fire for the spirits
to canes: there also two Of the queer
little objects which strew the beach few days
afterward. The Cucumtcrs represent horses. and
the g-plants upon which the spirits
will riding home. The evening of July d;
the fires are lighted. and priest is summoned to
say suitable prayers. inviting the spirits to enter
the house they once occupied After a decent
interval the animals taken up and placed on
the family shrine. with two long branches Of bam-
hoo. and the spirit is supposed to he comfortably
settled for its little visit with mortals.
In order to entertain the shadowy guest. offer
ings of ver,nicclh. mllct haricot beans. salad and
pumpkin cut up into bits are laid upon the shrine.
Instead Of a meat fish course. which the spirits
do not relish. whole squash is offered up. These
offerings left in their places the shrine until
the sixteenth day of the month. when they
thrown INTO the sea. and the spirits supposed
to return to their places until the next yearly
festival
The food offered to the spirits is supposed never
to be eaten by mo.tals. because the visitors
supposed to have extracted all their Some
cr,cryrising individuals in the critics. however.
said To go about the different houses where
distance from the waters renders it difficult TO get
rid Of the offerings. and collecting all they carry
dispose Of them At tea houses. markets and other
places No one willingly eats the offerings To the
dead though the lotus leaves upon which the food is
placed are sometimes saved. dried and eaten with
and are believed 10 prevent or cure summer
ailments.
Fo, the Ob"n Festival the family gods
is arranged with a figure of Buddha in the center.
ieforc which a kept burning On each
SIDE of the figure the food placed. with fruit.
pure water. a vase of flowers. candies and tablets
of ancestors. Banners Of various coiors are
ranged front Of all and rc,1.scn. the saints
Green the color Of the first and hears the
character for beauty: the red IS charity. deliver.
and wisdom: white purity: black
hungc. and fear. and the yellow Is famine The