You can experience a year of Japanese celebrations with Portland Japanese Garden’s annual cultural festivals. Below we have a preview of all of the upcoming festivals we’ll enjoy together as a community, following our January 11 celebration of O-Shogatsu. Further details as well as registration information will be available closer to each event date and will be announced in our weekly newsletter, so don’t forget to subscribe!
Hina Matsuri, Doll’s Day | March 1
The Doll Festival is a special time to pray for the growth and happiness of girls. It is also called Momo no Sekku, or “Peach Blossom Festival.” Visitors can appreciate a traditional display of dolls representing the Emperor and Empress with members of the Imperial Court. The event will also feature storytelling, songs, and an ikebana workshop for young Garden guests.
Kodomo no Hi, Children’s Day | May 3
Children’s Day is observed in Japan as a day to honor all children in the hopes that they will grow up healthy and strong. Cloth carp streamers, or koinobori, are flown to bring good fortune to children. Come to the Garden with your family to listen to taiko music performed by children, create origami projects, and satisfy your curiosity about koi.
Tanabata, The Star Festival | July 12
The Star Festival commemorates the one day a year the star-crossed lovers Vega, the Weaver Star and Altair, the Cowherder Star meet in the sky. Visitors can write a wish to be added to the colorful display of tanzaku, or wish strips, hanging from bamboo in the Garden’s Crumpacker Bamboo Allee. Visitors will also have the chance to hear the Tanabata story and listen to a taiko performance.
O-Bon, The Spirit Festival | August 14 & 15 (Members Only)
The Spirit Festival is an important Buddhist festival to honor ancestors and pray for the souls of the departed. The souls of the ancestors are believed to return to the world from beyond. The Garden’s O-Bon event features sutra chanting, name reading, and the quiet reverence of toro nagashi (lantern floating). This event is reserved for our members only.
Bon-Odori, Summer Festival | August 22
A highlight of summer festivals in Japan is the bon-odori ( 盆踊り/Bon dance). Come gather as a community, learn some dances, see people dressed in yukata (cotton robes), and hear and feel the sound of taiko drums. In Japanese Buddhist tradition, Bon-Odori is a way to entertain and send off the spirits of our ancestors and celebrate life.
O-Tsukimi, Moonviewing | September 25, 26, & 27
During Moonviewing, people gather to appreciate the moon’s beauty and pray for good fortune and an abundant harvest. At this festival, one of the most beloved at the Garden, guests anticipate the moonrise over the city skyline and Mt. Hood with a cup of tea and an opportunity to compose haiku as shakuhachi and koto music wafts through the air.