Cool Times for Hot Days
The Bon Festival is inspired by the Japanese Buddhist holiday honoring and thanking deceased ancestors, the O-bon. The O-bon or Bon is normally a three-day event and has been celebrated for more than 500 years. We do not always think of dead ancestors when we think about festivals. However, with the Bon Festival it is a time to appreciate the generations who have come before us and thank them for their sacrifices in life. On the last day of O-bon family members send delicate and decorated paper lanterns down a river guiding the ancestors back home on the last night of the festival.
What to expect
It is best to arrive promptly at five or earlier. Their are extended parking grounds adjacent to the museum, and their are parking attendants to help the flow of traffic. This is an incredibly organized event, staffed mostly by museum members and volunteers. There is no charge for parking or the shuttle.
Arriving early allows time to walk the grounds of one of the top-rated Japanese Gardens outside Japan. There are visual surprises and zen moments around every tree and walkway. Take your time and enjoy the views of waterfalls and the pond, as each vantage point has been carefully landscaped. Each garden is unique, yet the gardens all flow seamlessly together. The Early Rock Garden is a Zen-inspired garden with dynamic placement of rocks to suggest the flow of a waterfall, yet the garden remains dry. The Late Rock Garden is an incredibly meditatve space. Other gardens include the Shinden Garden, which is two landscaped islands in Morikami Pond. More lush gardens include the Paradise Garden, and the Modern Romantic Garden.
The main grounds of the museum are set up to resemble a street fair. For children there are ghost stories and games. There are vendor booths sellling various items from Bonsai trees to traditional chop sticks and rice bowls. Food is also avaliable. For a truly tasty meal, purchase a meal from the museum’s cafe.
Entertainment includes traditional Japanese folk dancing, and audience participation is strongly encouraged. Adults and children alike will be fascinated by the demonstration of taiko drumming.
At sunset the highlight of the evening begins. During the Toro Nagashi, or lantern floating cermony lanterns are sent into Morikami Pond, creating a serene sea of lulling lights. Lanterns may be purchased in advance from the museum. In the dusk of the gardens, the sight of the lighted lanterns is quite moving, aesthetically as well as spiritually. If you’d like a lantern sleeve to honor and remember a lost loved one, for the lantern floating ceremony, they are available at the event for $5. If you’d like to purchase one, do so early as they tend to sell out.
After a lovely evening of delicious foods and drink, games, music, drumming, dancing, and the lantern ceremony, the evening is topped off with a spectacular display of fireworks.
The current entertainment schedule for the festival is as follows:
5:00pm – 9:00pm Ennichi Street Fair (games and activities for children)
5:15pm – 5:30pm Taiko Drum Performance by Fushu Daiko
5:45pm – 6:15pm Bon Odori (Bon Dance)
6:30pm – 7:00pm Taiko Drum Performance by Fushu Daiko
7:15pm – 7:45pm Bon Odori (Bon Dance)
8:00pm – 8:15pm Taiko Drum Performance by Fushu Daiko
8:30pm – 9:00pm Toro Nagashi (floating of the lanterns)
9:00pm Fireworks Displa
Admission to the Bon Festival, held on Saturday, August 12, 2006, from 5pm-9pm is $10 for adults (18 and over), $5 for children 7-17, and free for children 6 and under. No special senior discounts are available.
The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens are located at 4000 Morikami Park Road in Delray Beach, Florida. A map and driving directions are available on their web site.
For more information about the Bon Festival, the museum and gardens or their other events visit the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardensweb site. You may also e-mail the museum at morikami@co.palm-beach.fl.us or phone the museum by calling (561)495-0233.
