Heritage Walk and Obon Ceremony at Ross Bay Cemetery
"Obon is a festival for the Japanese Buddhist Day of the Dead when graves are cleaned, incense is lit and prayers are said. Mike Abe will start the program with a tour, which begins inside RBC’s main gate. The Obon ceremony will begin at 3 pm at the Kakehashi Monument in the southwest corner of RBC, near the corner of Memorial Crescent and Dallas Road. The public are invited to the tour and ceremony."
https://oldcem.bc.ca/tours/tours-schedule/
Heritage Walk and Obon Ceremony
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM – Setup
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM – Guest Welcoming
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM – Heritage Walk of Japanese Pioneer Graves (Meet near the washrooms at the corner of Memorial Crescent and Dallas Road)
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM – Buddhist Obon Ceremony at Kakehashi Stone. The ceremony will be presided by Reverend Grant Ikuta, resident minister for the Steveston Buddhist Temple and Bishop of the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Temples of Canada.
4:00 PM – Bus Tour Group departs and take down begins.
Following the Ceremony, light refreshments will be served – Please join us as we welcome travelers from the Steveston area to the Ross Bay Cemetery joining our Obon observance.
Volunteer Help
As well as the help needed for the Grave Headstone washing, we would appreciate some EXTRA assistance in the setting up and taking down of tents, chairs, tables, signage, decorations, and food services. If you are able to assist with any of these tasks, please contact us (info@vncs.ca) – thank you.
We look forward to meeting you and your family. Please come, wear your Yukata, and share in the friendship at this unique event.
Proudly Supported by the Japanese Friendship Society, the Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society, and the Old Cemeteries Society.
OCS members get a discount on the weekly tours and receive six copies per year of the newsletter “Stone Cuttings” plus advance notification of tours and other activities. Part of each membership and all donations assist many worthwhile projects undertaken by the OCS at RBC and other Greater Victoria heritage cemeteries each year.
We also offer private group tours on request on other days of the week. Contact us for information.
Please visit our membership page to join the Old Cemeteries Society.