Maui temples ready for the return of bon dance season

Some planning tentatively due to pandemic or canceling altogether

After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the local summertime tradition of bon dance is seeking to make a comeback at most Buddhist temples on Maui this year.

Reverends of some of the largest Buddhist temples on Maui say they are planning their events as they were pre-pandemic, including a service, dancing with live drums and food sales.

However, they do understand that things could change quickly and will need to adjust if necessary.

"This is going into the great unknown. We have no idea how to predict where COVID-19 wants to play the next time around," said the Rev. Kerry Kiyohara of Makawao Hongwanji Mission. "But our feeling was that we reached the point where nobody is saying we can't do it and obviously there are risks. ... But for us as a temple, it is an important community event. It is a very significant religious event."

Obon festivals are traditionally a time to remember ancestors who have passed.

"Our hope is that we can do this in person, just like we did ... like the last one two years ago," Kiyohara said on Monday.

This includes the sales of what Kiyohara described as Makawao Hongwanji's "world-famous chow fun" that always attracts a long line.

The Rev. Shinkai Murakami of Wailuku Hongwanji Mission is also looking forward to the bon dance season, which begins in June.

"It's great, nice for all of us," he said on Monday of the revived festivities at his church, which is also known for its chow fun.

Murakami said the church will try to keep things "the same" as they were pre-COVID. This includes the kimono and happi coat-clad dancers under the night sky and a variety of foods for sale.

Some temples also have games for children and sell crafts.

Shannon Loo, president of the Maui Minyo Kai dance group, said he is "super excited" to have bon dance back, but knows it could be canceled if cases get too high.

"But I think people really need the human-to-human connection and that's the very heart of the festival," said Loo, who normally dances in the inner ring with other members of the group during the festivals to serve as examples for other dancers to follow.

"If we play it safe, mask up, don't get into hugging and kissing, we can have a safe, fun festival and it'll be an awesome return from our two-year hiatus," he added.

In 2020, the first year bon dance was canceled, Loo and fellow dance group member Jonah Valois-Nishimura started up a virtual bon dance livestreamed on Facebook, which attracted hundreds of participants locally and from around the world.

Last year the duo didn't do an online bon dance, but instead performed for a few temples that had online festivities.

As most temples gear up for obon, some are still holding scaled-back events, planning tentatively or deciding to forgo festivities another year.

The Paia Mantokuji Mission will only have a service this year and hopes to have dancing and other festivities next year, temple officials said.

At the Rinzai Zen Mission in Paia, the temple is "tentatively planning" to hold its obon festival on Aug. 20, though this is "dependent on the COVID situation at that time," its website said. The temple said it will provide more details as the event date draws closer.

Lahaina Jodo Mission recently decided not to hold festivities this year as COVID-19 cases are climbing on Maui and the state, temple officials said Monday evening. They said they want to hold the events, but safety is the priority.

In 2020, Maui's Buddhist temples halted their bon dance festivals as outdoor gatherings were limited to 100 people and social distancing rules were in place. A vaccine against COVID-19 had not yet rolled out. In 2021, even with a vaccine, festivities were once again halted.

Gone for two years were the large dancing rings and open food sales, although some temples held smaller food sales throughout the year or drive-thru pre-order food sales.

But the temples during the pandemic held on to the services associated with obon, including the Hatsubon memorial services, which are for families who are marking the first obon since the passing of a loved one. The ceremony has special meaning in the Jodo Shinshu tradition and normally precedes the dancing at temples.

Some of these services went virtual and others were held in smaller groups to practice social distancing.

Murakami reflected upon remembering one's ancestors during this time.

"Obon is the most significant time for us to reflect upon our lives and open the eyes of our inner hearts and see the truth, the 'joy of gathering,' which we are meeting with our loved ones through the spirits of the excellent guidance of the Nembutsu," he said.

To get people back into the bon dance routine, Wailuku Jodo Mission and Maui Minyo Kai will hold a bon dance practice at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the Wailuku Jodo Mission parking lot with parking available at the nearby Malama I Ke Ola Health Center.

Loo said masks will be required for the practice. For updates, see Wailuku Jodo Mission's Instagram page @wailukujodomission.

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.