Japanese Obon Festival to New Jersey

UPPER DEERFIELD TWP. — Traditional Japanese folk dancing and taiko drumming will be featured during the Seabrook Buddhist Temple's 65th Annual Obon Memorial Folk Dance Festival on Saturday.

The event begins at 5 p.m. and admission and parking are free.

Each year, since 1945, the Seabrook Buddhist Temple has celebrated Obon. Temple members are proud to honor their heritage and share their history. The Obon Odori (dance) is a “Dance of Joy,” honoring all those who have passed before us and the sacrifices they have made to make our lives better.

Seabrook Buddhist Temple is located on Northville Road, off State Highway 77 in Seabrook. Folding or lawn chairs are recommended for your comfort.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:

* 5 p.m. to close: Ethnic food booths and craft tables will be open.

* 5:30 - 6 p.m. & 8 - 8:45 p.m.: Japanese taiko drumming will be performed by the Seabrook Buddhist Temple's Dharma School Taiko group and Hoh Daiko Drummers. There will be a special guest performance by the Soh Daiko Drummers of New York. Members of Nen Daiko Drummers of Washington, D.C., will also join in the performances.

* 5 - 6:00 p.m.: Temple Meditation Garden available for viewing.

* 6 - 6:45 p.m.: Mini lecture and Q&A on Buddhism in the temple with the Rev. T.K. Nakagaki of the New York Buddhist Church, supervising minister of the Seabrook Buddhist Temple.

* 7 - 8 p.m. & 8:45 to close: Japanese folk dancing with dancers from the greater Delaware Valley region, New York, and Washington, D.C., as well as our local dancers. Audience participation is encouraged.

The Seabrook Educational and Cultural Center, located in the Upper Deerfield Municipal Building on State Highway 77 in Seabrook, will be open from noon to 4 p.m.

Approximately 500 families of Japanese descent relocated to Seabrook after the end of World War II. Seabrook is considered to be the largest resettlement of Japanese after the War. The SECC was established in 1994 and serves to preserve and present the rich multicultural heritage of the community. The SECC will open specially to coincide with the Obon Festival.

On Sunday, July 25, the Seabrook Buddhist Temple will observe Obon Memorial Service at 10 a.m. The public is invited.

For more information, please contact the Seabrook Buddhist Temple (856) 451-3422, www.sbtnj.org or the Seabrook Educational and Cultural Center (856) 451-8393, www.seabrookeducation.org.

Funding has been made possible in part by the New Jersey Council on the Arts/Department of State, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Cumberland County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Cumberland County Cultural and Heritage Commission.