'Say thank you to loved ones': Obon Festival returns to Marysville Buddhist Church

Jeff Larson, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
Updated ·2 min read

Jul. 17—For the first time in four years, the Obon Festival was celebrated locally in Yuba-Sutter at the Marysville Buddhist Church in Chinatown in downtown Marysville.

The Obon Festival is an annual Japanese tradition that commemorates and remembers deceased ancestors. It is believed that their spirits return at this time to visit their relatives, according to lore.

Rev. Tim Castle, the pastor at the Marysville Buddhist Church, said Obon is always on the third Saturday of July and is a sense of homecoming for folks to get together to pay their respects to family and friends who have passed away over the last year.

Castle said Obon begins with the Hatsubon service, also known as a memorial service, held at the hondo of any Buddhist church in the country.

It typically begins at 4 p.m., Castle said.

"Anybody is welcome," he said.

From there, folks go eat and reminisce — a feat that had not happened at the Marysville Buddhist Church since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Marysville Buddhist Church Board President and Obon Festival Chairperson Terrie Matsumoto.

Matsumoto was one of the leading forces behind the boxed dinner of teriyaki boneless chicken, rice, string bean aemono, tsukemono, orange slices, dessert and water. Each dinner was $20 and helped serve as a church fundraiser.

After dinner, the Obon Festival moved outside for the Obon Odori dance on a temporary stage set up in the church courtyard.

"It may sound odd that we are out dancing after a memorial service, but the dancing is a reflection of our gratitude to all the family and friends who have passed away," Castle said.

Memorial services are valued in any church, including the Marysville Buddhist Church, so to have a limited number during the pandemic was difficult, Castle said.

So Saturday, Castle said, was in many ways a treasured opportunity for church members and others to reconnect while celebrating those who died in 2023.

"It's the next step in greeting and to say thank you to loved ones," Castle said.

Castle said the Marysville Buddhist Church is planning to bring the Obon Festival back each year on the third Saturday in July.

During the year, the Marysville Buddhist Church is open twice a month at 10 a.m. Sunday for service in the hondo.

The Marysville Buddhist Church has been present on B Street for about 115 years, only shutting down during World War II and for the COVID-19 pandemic, Castle said.

Castle said the altar — the backdrop in the hondo — was donated from the San Francisco Buddhist Church over 80 years ago.

For more information, visit https://marysvillebc.org or call 530-743-6426.