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West Covina Buddhist Temple's 2007 Obon Festival is scheduled for Saturday, June 30, 2007. The festival lasts all day, starting from 1 pm and lasting until 9:00 pm. Please join us for a day full of Japanese culture, cuisine and of course, the exciting Obon Odori Dancing. Below are some highlights from previous Festivals. See our Map Page for directions. E-mail us or call (626) 913-0622 if you have any questions. |
| WCBT also offers free Bon Odori dance instruction to the public. As shown in the pics at the bottom of the page, if the Bon Odori dancing is the highlight of the Obon, it is probably because, as a kind of celebratory "group dance," it symbolizes the world of oneness that is the goal of the Buddhist teaching. And, though it is certainly not mandatory, the public is invited to learn the specific moves of each dance at one of the free public dance instruction practices. This year, they are offered from 7 pm to 8:30 pm every Tuesday and Friday leading up to the Obon (except Friday the 8th): June 1, 5, 12, 15, 19, 22, 26. | |
 Always riveting is the Naginata demo. This is very exciting to watch, and somewhat similar to Kendo (and to fencing—if you saw any of the Star Wars movies, you know what Kendo is like) |
 Many people enjoy the Karate demonstration, which is an impressive display of discipline and skill |
 The climax of the demos features the popular Kishin Daiko group... |
 Of course, instead of eating the delicious food available, there were some, like our Joanie Martinez, that chose to WEAR the food! (just kidding...Joanie was our "walking sushi advertisement") |
Top: the famous WCBT Chicken Teriyaki Crew barbeques deservedly famous chicken dinners. |
 The highlight of the evening is the Bon Odori Dancing, kicked off by the irresistible beat of the taiko drum. For many, besides being a lot of fun, the dancing also has a deep Buddhist meaning, which is that we wouldn't be here enjoying this day together if it weren't for our ancestors. Our dancing celebrates their memory. |
 You don't have to be an expert to participate, because you can just pick it up by watching expert teachers like Jennifer (l)... |
 The "big picture" is that the Bon Odori dancing brings people together--young, old, temple members and members of the community--and everyone has a great time! |
