Eisa and Obon: Prayers for the Dead

My second night in Okinawa, I awakened to some very curious noises: a twangy plucking, drums and voices that ranged somewhere between wailing and chanting. At first, this cacophony (and that’s what I decided it was at 11 o’clock at night) was at a distance, but then it seemed it was directly outside our apartment. The tune, once I discerned that there was a tune, was actually quite infectious and the next morning, when I recalled this nocturnal parade, I thought I might like to hear more.

As it turned out, I would have the opportunity: my arrival in Japan coincided with the holiday of Obon, a Japanese-Buddhist celebration honoring the spirits of their ancestors. Much like American Memorial Day, Obon is a time of family gatherings, visits to tombs and other activities that pay respect to deceased family members. Part of Obon, one that I had experienced in the night, is dancing both in parades and festivals around Japan. Each different region has its own special form of music and dance, and eisa is the name of the traditional folk dance of Okinawa.

Eisa is now performed for entertainment, but for centuries it served as a religious service to memorialize the ancestors of Okinawan villages. The troupes performing eisa are made up of about 20-30 young people who wear brightly colored costumes. The men typically dance, play drums and the sanshin (the plucky instrument) and chant, while the women dance and sing. Eisa is something that is taught in schools, so many of the dancers have been familiar with the tradition since a very young age.

After the next night, when the eisa dancers again paraded under our balcony (and Matt and I ran out to watch), I became a fan of eisa. There is such an energy to the movements of the dancers and the unique way the instruments and voices sound together – something that is at first odd to Western ears, but then begins to make sense. I was very happy when I learned that over the weekend, there would be an eisa festival held at a stadium near our apartment. Matt and I went and enjoyed performances by two eisa groups. We were able to stand down on the field close to the action (there were reserved seats in the packed stadium) and we were quite impressed with how physically demanding the dances were, especially on the guys that both danced and carried the big drums.

If you would like to take a look at eisa, the following link will take you to a YouTube video of an eisa parade in Naha, the capital of Okinawa.

Eisa Parade in Naha

I hope you enjoy the pictures of the eisa dancers and other scenes from the All-Okinawa Eisa Festival!!!

More Pictures From the Eisa Festival

Matt is on His Way to Korea

Matt left for a six week mission to Korea early this morning. He will be providing medical care for his battalion while they receive training somewhere near Seoul. We've been rounding up his supplies and getting him prepared over the past week. I have found that I am pretty darn good at making duct tape labels with "Lt. Langford" scrawled in black marker and sticking them to every which type of pack, canteen and vest. I kept telling him I wanted him to pack me because I know I will miss him terribly again. As Matt pointed out earlier in the week, we've spent more days apart than together since we were married. I'm extremely glad we had these ten days together. I've been able to settle a bit into our new home, get familiar with how I need to take care of things while he is gone and just be with Matt for some quality US time. Mostly, we've kept it low-key - dinners in and TV on the air mattress (still our only furniture) and leisurely exploring new restaurants and shops. However, yesterday we had a great afternoon walking hand in hand at the All-Okinawa Eisa Festival at the nearby Koza Stadium (stay tuned for lots of pics/details).

During Matt's deployment, I will be heading to Scotland for a few weeks to visit my dear-dear-dear friend Katie, and her son (my godson) William. Initially, when Matt's trip was scheduled for less time, I had wanted to stay here and settle in Okinawa. Matt was reluctant to leave me here in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people. Katie had previously offered to house me in case he deployed, so we worked out a half and half compromise of me spending part of the time in Okinawa and the other part in Scotland. Now, with his time in Korea extended, I think this is probably the best idea....and I'm ECSTATIC about seeing Katie and William. We always have a fantastic time together and Katie is an excellent hostess and tour guide. And it will be great fun to be Aunt Nan Nan for a bit and spoil William silly (however, I'm not sure I can still endlessly run up and down the hall and stairs giving pony rides). Since Katie has set the example for blogging to faraway friends and family, I imagine that you can look forward to some dual blogs of our visit.

Some great Okinawa news is that I have made my first friends, Brittany and her almost-two-year-old daughter, Faith. Her husband is the chaplain for Matt's battalion and will be with Matt in Korea. We went to dinner with them Friday evening and found out they live only about a block from us in Chatan-cho. The guys planned what DVDs and computer games to take while Brittany and I talked about getting together while they were away. Faith is adorable and found herself right at home handing me her toys and shoes :).

I hope everyone is having a great Labor Day Weekend - let me know what you did!!!