Page 3 - MidWeek West - May 24, 2023

While those in the pub- lic look forward to attend- ing the Obon Celebration, event organizers are also excited for this year’s event as life in Hawai‘i returns to relative normalcy follow-
ing the COVID-19 pan- demic.
“For those who are new to bon dance or haven’t been to one in a while, our Obon Celebration is unique in that wewillfeatureandbringto- gether 10 different bon dance groups from around the island so attendees can see and par-
To learn more about the event and the different bon dance groups performing, as well as general information about Hawai‘i’s Plantation Village, visit hawaiiplanta- tionvillage.orgaswellasface- book.com/plantationvillage and Instagram (@hawaiis- plantationvillage).
Community members are invited to the 33rd annual Obon Celebration in Waipahu. The event continues the tradition of obon, a Buddhist event that commemorates ancestors. PHOTOS COURTESY ARIC TANIMOTO
season is almost back to a pre-pandemic status, so we are excited to kick off this year’s season once again. Last year we saw around 600 participants and we are expecting more now that
things have gotten ‘back to normal,’ so we are looking forward to a crowd of 700- plus people.
ticipate in the different dances that the groups do.”
“Though we opened last year’s bon season for the state, many temples didn’t hold their bon dances,” Ahlo says. “This year’s bon
MAY 24, 2023 3
Annual Celebration in West O‘ahu Features Dance Groups
FROM PAGE 1
brought to Hawai‘i. This year’s celebration will fea- ture 10 bon dance groups from around O‘ahu.”
In keeping up with lo- cal tradition, Hawai‘i’s Plantation Village’s event kicks off the bon season on O‘ahu. To complement the bon dance, the event will also feature food booths, a craft fair with items made by artisans from the village and an exhibition area will also be open for visitors to walk through. The three exhibits on display focus on immigrant life and the Honouliuli Internment Camp. The traveling exhib- it, Generational Legacies: SantaFeInternmentCamp, which is on loan from the New Mexico Japanese American Citizens League
until Aug. 31 will also be on display.
“This is a place that our guests will experience what you would find on many sugar plantations through- out Hawai“i in the early 1900s,” Ahlo says. “You will learn of the many im- migrant groups — Hawai- ian, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Puerto Rican, Okinawan, Korean and Fil- ipino — that came to work in the sugar fields, as well as their struggles, customs, cultures, hardships and ad- justments to their new en- vironment.”
Obon dance leaders from a previous event pose at Hawai‘i’s Plantation Village. This year’s festival features 10 bon dance groups from around the island.
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