Comparative Research on Taiwan’s Chung Yuan Festival and Japan’s Obon Festival

• Main Authors: Liu Ching Yi, 劉慶儀
• Other Authors: Chen, YuYen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2016
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/93295090588417249852

碩士 === 稻江科技暨管理學院 === 休閒遊憩管理學系碩士班 === 104 === This study examines the traditional culture of the Chung Yuan Festival in Taiwan and the Obon Festival in Japan, specifically the differences in folk customs of Taiwan and Japan, not only differences in the subject of sacrificial offering, time, and place, but also the relationship between the festival and leisure. This study adopts a qualitative approach and conducts semi-structured interviews focusing on the experiences of subjects. Analysis of the interviews showed that the meaning and subjects of sacrificial offerings in both countries was to show reverence to ancestors. With regards to the time of the festival, any time in the seventh month of the lunar calendar is accepted in Taiwan, while the Obon Festival is held on a fixed date in Japan. Diverse answers were received from Taiwanese subjects regarding the relationship between leisure and the festival. Japanese subjects all believed that the festival allowed them to achieve spiritual exchange, and served entertainment and leisure purposes. The festival in Taiwan is traditional and solemn, but traditional rites carry a cultural essence. If the Tourism Bureau of the R.O.C. can support and design events that are reported by the media, perhaps more people will be attracted to participate in the festival. Fewer and fewer people of the younger generation have experience taking part in the festival, and the Chung Yuan Festival in Taiwan is thus on the decline. Therefore, discussions in this study aim to provide reference for those interested in the traditional culture of Taiwan’s Chung Yuan Festival and Japan’s Obon Festival.