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 | | | Subject: Grandmother in law
Posted Aug 5, 2008 by Anoldgreymoonraker Free Tibet
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  | | As O' bon is coming soon 13 th - 15th, This is when the spirits of the ancestors /spirits world is closest to earth, I thought I would bring a record of events here. ,Obachan has asked me to take my camera to record some of it , I will not be recording every thing as I am not involved in it all .
Preparations began last Sunday when Obachan, my daughter and two other granddaughters went to the graveyard where they together with the priest first prayed then cleaned and washed the gravestones, (a woman's job) lit incense then walked back to Obachan's house for lunch , there would have been very many women in the graveyard cleaning their ancestors gravestones at the same time,about 3 priests I think for this area would have been moving from one grave to another . I think during the time they were away my brother in law made some type of stand /table, on which various things will be placed on the 13th at the entrance way just inside the door to welcome the spirits that Obachan will collect and bring home that day .
For me being an outsider as it were, I find these forthcoming events? quite a peaceful pleasant time and the lighting very beautiful , I will try to capture some of it on camera.
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| | | Subject: Grandmother in law
Posted Aug 16, 2008 by Anoldgreymoonraker Free Tibet
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| | O'bon is over and I will try to explain just a little bit about what has happened around here recently ,I did wonder why the graveyards were cleaned two weeks before O'bon and it seems like most if the monks have been kept busy in the main Temples cleaning and dusting everything I even saw some of them on the tv news absailling down the front of the big buddha as well as taking care of their normal duties ,
On the thirteenth at about 7 am Obachan walked to the graveyard ,said a prayer then lit some incense sticks and carried the burning sticks back home allowing Okibachan to ride home on the smoke coming from the sticks, which she then placed in the urn at the foot of the table set up in her honour. This is the first O' bon for Okibachan so she has a special place this year . At 2 pm a monk came to the house as arranged to say prayers at various points in the house , I did take a pic of him at the front door where a Pineleaf decoration was set up with the family name on it ,when he had gone Obachan came out of the front door then reentered the house via the front side door way into what was Okibachan's rooms, said a prayer lit some more incense sticks from the small candles burning in what I call the ancestors box then carried them out of the house the way she went in , I decided to go with her and we walked up the road to an incense burner box that had been set up by the priests passing many people coming back , at the box Obachan nelt ,said a prayer and exchanched incense sticks that were lit at the graveyard and carried to that spot by the priest then again carrying the sticks Obachan walked back to the house allowing all of the other ancestors to come home with her riding on the smoke .That evening the family ate dinner together ,because we have pets and I don't speak the language (my excuse) I came home early but the rest of the family sang special songs together and some neighbours would have joined them , my wife and daughter came home at about 10:30 pm
On the 14 th my wife and daughter left home at 9;00 am to help Obachan at the house ,people would come to pay their respects and would need a drink(tea) and a little something to eat , At 12 O clock lunch was delivered for the family we all then had lunch, after which I came back home but at 5:oo pm had to go back for dinner , it was a repeat from the day before the same songs were sung etc ,
Again on the 15 th My wife and daughter left our home early to attend to mothers guests, to me it seemed monotonous but my wife said no, it is the only time that the whole family can get together , Obachan did go back this time to the graveyard, yesterday afternoon carrying incense sticks enabling all the ancestors to ride on the smoke and make their way back to the spirit world , their was singing again yesterday evening and at midnight all the burnable stuff (hand made table ,small ladders used near the picture of Okibachan and the fir tree decoration flowers etc) were taken in my truck by my brother in law and his son to the graveyard and burnt, my wife and daughter came home at about 1:30 am this morning.
As a side note at midnight o f the 12 th Obachan's brothers wife died , because of this my brother in law was unable to attend his mothers /our O'bon festival as he is the funeral director and was busy arranging for the ceremony and cremation which my wife, Obachan and sister in law attended today.
I will put pic's of some of this on my flickr a bit later.http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/dna/h2g2/br...www.flickr.com/photos/21128589@N02/
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