盆踊り Obon dance

海外で盆踊りに参加したのは初めて　さすが日本人の血を受け継ぐ人たちが多いだけあってここワイメアの田舎町でもこんなに本格的な盆踊り大会が開かれていました　It was my first time seeing "Obon dance" in the out side of Japan. They held it here in Waimea! I was impressed.

 

ハワイ風浴衣！ Yukata with Hawaiian design on it.

昔日本からここハワイ島へ移民してきた人たちは本当に過酷な労働を強いられて、苦労を重ねてきたらしい。　でもそんな苦労をしながらも遠く古里を思う気持ちはずーっと心の中にあったんだなと思うと、たかが盆踊りでもなぜかしんみりするものがあった。日本では伝統が伝統でなくなってきている気がしていたし、ワタシも伝統をあまり知らない世代の一人。でもここハワイで伝統を大切にしたい人たちの灯火が明るく見えた。

Long time ago, many people from Japan immigrated to Hawaii to work in the plantations.
They were treated like animals and had a difficult time adjusting to a whole new world. When I saw what their postarity has inherited, I felt that those people missed their home land which is too far to go back. We are losing a lot of our traditions in Japan, and I'm sad to admit that I am one of them who don't know those traditions much. However, when I saw this event in Hawaii and saw younger generations enjoying it, I felt like those first Japanese's spirits were there.

-obon dance: wikipedia