Obon Festival 2006

At the annual Obon Festival last Saturday night, the air around the Mitchell Pauole Center reverberated with a life of its own. Under colorful Japanese lanterns that swung above, Taiko performers danced and drummed the night away.

But they weren’t the only ones in action. Dancers from missions in O`ahu and on Molokai mixed with others from the community, old and young, stepping in synchronization around the stage.

“It’s wonderful to see the young people really getting into it,” Lisa Takata, president of the Molokai Guzeiji Soto Mission, said.

The festival is not only a time of drumming and dancing, but of honoring one’s ancestors.

“It’s a time to show them appreciation for what they have done for you for generations,” Takata said.