盆踊(ぼんおど)り

ぼんおどり
noun
Bon festival dance
leisure
1. Bon festival dance
A traditional dance performed during the Obon festival in summer to honor the spirits of ancestors.
夏(なつ)になると町(まち)で盆踊(ぼんおど)りがある。
There's a Bon dance in town when summer comes.
浴衣(ゆかた)を着(き)て盆踊(ぼんおど)りに参加(さんか)した。
I wore a yukata and participated in the Bon dance.
盆踊(ぼんおど)りの輪(わ)に加(くわ)わった。
I joined the circle of the Bon dance.

Cultural note

盆踊(ぼんおど)り is performed during お盆(ぼん) (Obon), typically in mid-August (or mid-July in some regions).

Register

Dancers form a circle around a raised platform (櫓(やぐら)) and perform synchronized movements to traditional folk songs. Each region has its own distinctive dance style.

CULTURAL NOTE (famous dances):

  • 阿波踊(あわおど)り (Tokushima)
  • 郡上踊(ぐじょうおど)り (Gifu)
  • 西馬音内盆踊(にしもないぼんおど)り (Akita)

Common collocations

Related Words

Related: 盆(ぼん) (Obon festival)
Related: お盆(ぼん) (Obon (polite))
Related: 浴衣(ゆかた) (summer kimono)
Related: 盂蘭盆会(うらぼんえ) (Obon festival)
Compare: 七夕祭(たなばたまつ)り (Tanabata festival)
Related: 風物詩(ふうぶつし) (seasonal feature)
Compare: 舞踏会(ぶとうかい) (ball)
general
Added 2026.1.16 18:32 · Revised 2026.10.19 9:24
05500/05638_bonodori