Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Obon Festival and Dance

The reason why I love big diverse cities is that any day of the week you can come in contact with people from all cultures and traditions from all over the world. During my last visit to NY as I was walking near Bryant Park, I hear music and saw a lot of people gathered at the park... and I discovered the Obon Odori Festival.


The festival is organized by the New York Buddhist Church and it is celebrated to honor and connect with the spirits of one's ancestors. The celebration was beautiful as people gathered around traditional Japanese drums and danced to folk music.


Church members of all ages participated in the celebration dressed up in traditional costumes at the same time as they invited everyone around them to join them in the dance and celebration.


I could not help but being fascinated at the beautiful patterns of the clothes they were wearing {mostly kimonos}, the way they harmonized with the people around them, and the good energy they were transmitting all of us who were looking at them.



Unfortunately, the video I took was too large to upload here but I found this one that give you a pretty good idea of what I got to experience.


Have a beautiful and peaceful day!

36 comments:

  1. Oh, just beautiful costumes! :-)

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  2. amazing costumes! thanx for sharing =)

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  3. so beautiful..love the tradition & folklore!

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  4. Thats the most amazing part about New York, that every interesting culture and country is represented all in one city! Their costumes are so beautiful.

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  5. This sort of thing is exactly why I love big cities too- the surprises are great!

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  6. The way those obis are tied is so coool - like a work of art

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  7. The fabrics are gorgeous.
    Wonderful.

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  8. Wow, so beautiful. I just love the idea of stumbling across something so interesting and diverse. You've got to love cities for that.

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  9. I love Obon festivals and used to perform in them when I was younger. What a fun thing to stumble upon! You got some great shots!

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  10. What a beautiful festival! I LOVE the outfits that they wear. The prints and colors are always so pretty.
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

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  11. I agree, their clothes are beautiful. Thanks for sharing these images!

    xo
    Quiet Luxury


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  12. Awesome photos- I love the way they mix patterns with the kimonos and sashes. Gorgeous!

    -Ashley
    http://lerougestylo.blog.com

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  13. Beautiful! I love the festivals in nyc, they're always so colorful and usually have yummy food too. Hope you're having a great week Elie!

    xo Mary Jo

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  14. Wow, this looks so cool! I love living in a diverse city for that same reason. There's always something interesting going on. :)

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  15. interesting!!
    xo
    MOSAMUSE

    www.MOSAMUSE.com

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  16. What a beautiful celebration....with gorgeous kimonos. I'd love to experience something like that in person. xx

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  17. Beautiful celebration. Love all of the colors!

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  18. Amazing pics, love these costums!
    So beautiful cekebration!
    xxx
    S

    http://s-fashion-avenue.blogspot.it

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  19. That is why I love big diverse cities too! These are awesome photos:)
    Thanks for the peek!

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  20. I love different events like this one....and love capturing them in photos as well. beautiful patterns! I agree

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  21. So lovely you got to see this! It's celebrated in Japan in mid August. I don't remember a specific obon festival happening when I lived there. Where I was it seemed to be an individual family event

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  22. Such exquisite dress, loving the shots you' ve taken. Wish I could experience such an event over here.
    x.o.x.o

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  23. I hope they have something like this in atlanta

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  24. Looks like such a good atmosphere!

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  25. This festival looks really cool! I love going to different cultural fairs. I'm lucky in that Chicago has TONS of them! :) There are perks to living in a big city alright.
    --Becky
    preppypremed.blogspot.com

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  26. Beautiful - wish I had seen this when I was back!

    xoxo,
    Chic 'n Cheap Living

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  27. Looks like an amazing event! so colourful

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  28. i love the kimonos, so elegant and beautiful!
    Chic on the Cheap

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  29. I used to work very close to Bryant Park. Always something going on! That's the beauty of the Big Apple. And every part of the city has a different character. Have a great time there! - J xxx

    www.thefoolishaesthete.blogspot.com

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  30. great post! they have such intricate details in their costumes!

    www.beckspick.com

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  31. What gorgeous kimonos - 'Memoires of A Geisha' is one of my favourite films because I loved all the beautiful costumes in it!

    Melissah from Coastal Style

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