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GCSE Religious Studies · key term
A Japanese festival honouring ancestors, traditionally linked to Mokuren’s wish to relieve his deceased mother’s suffering.
Used by Edexcel
Specification 2.8 · Paper 2
Revise: Festivals and RetreatsObon, by contrast, honours ancestors. Its traditional origin story concerns the Buddha’s disciple Mokuren, known in Sanskrit as Maudgalyayana. According to the story, he used his supernatural powers to search for his deceased mother and found her suffering among the hungry spirits.
Specification 3.8 · Paper 1, Paper 2, Paper 3
A Japanese Buddhist festival remembering deceased ancestors, involving family remembrance, grave visits and, in many communities, communal dancing.
Distinguish traditional accounts from historical claims: introduce the Obon origin story as a narrative in the Ullambana Sutra.
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Obon is a Japanese festival, commonly lasting three days, that remembers deceased ancestors. People may return to family graves, remember relatives and use the occasion for a family reunion. Celebrations can also include Bon Odori, communal dancing.
