[Conducting the Obon Festival]
On the first day of Obon, chochin (paper) lanterns are lit in homes, and people carry the lanterns to their family graves to summon their ancestral spirits back home. This process is called Mukae-bon. In some areas, a fire calledmukae-bi is lit at the entrances of houses to help guide the spirits to enter. Chochin lanterns and flower arrangements are usually placed by the butsudan as other offerings.
