When the world around her got to be a little too much for her, Mara would often frequent cemeteries in order to keep the company of the DEARLY DEPARTED. This time though, she found herself within a cemetery, surrounded by people that ranged from VERY MUCH LIVING, to LONG-SINCE PASSED.
No matter the apprehension that she had with people generally, Mara couldn't help but have an interest in the cultures that populated the planet. When those cultures happened to find time to INCORPORATE SPIRITS into their festivities, it meant that she was able to get the information on the celebrations right from those that might have been there when the tradition begun in that space.
Bon was known to be a JOYOUS celebration of departed ancestors, a Japanese Buddhist festival that had been observed for more than five centuries with a traditional folk dance known as BON-ODORI.
The OBON tradition arose from the story of Mahamaudgalyayana and his mother in the Ullambana Sutra. The mother had fallen into a terrible state in the afterlife, and the Buddha advised Mogallana that the only way to assist her was to make offerings to the monks at the end of their rainy season retreat. When Mogallana did so, his mother’s suffering was relieved, causing him to clap his hands and DANCE FOR JOY.
Buddhist minister Yoshio Iwanaga had introduced BON-ODORI to communities along the North American West Coast in the 1930s. As Obon dances attracted large crowds from the surrounding neighborhoods, they evolved into larger festivals with culinary bazaars and CULTURAL DEMONSTRATIONS.
Nowadays, a festival could be found nearly EVERY weekend between June and August, in many parts of the United States. Obon Festivals were typically temples’ LARGEST EVENT of the year and most visible presence in their local communities.
Some Obon dances had been passed from parents to their children and grandchildren, while NEW DANCES also continued to be developed and introduced each summer. It was a special time for temple communities to come together and orchestrate their own event, while visiting others out of support and friendship.
Taiko drums heralded the centerpiece of the Gathering of Joy, when everyone was expected to make a circle around the YAGURA (tower) for BON-ODORI.
Whether people dressed in traditional Japanese attire or their best beachwear, everyone was encouraged to JUST DANCE. Setting their egos aside, people were able to find kindness in everyone’s care toward each other. Whether through a friendly wave, or a knowing laugh on the dance line, it was just a fantastic way to experience just...BEING ALIVE.
All while honoring those that had passed on.
When the sun finished setting, the festivities would mellow to a pleasant simmer, but for the moment...Mara was allowing herself to emerge from her shell a bit more. The feeling of knowing that there were many people there that couldn't see the spirits of those gone but BELIEVED they were there was uplifting when she could see that they were, in fact, correct. Her hands rose in the air as she continued to dance along with those that surrounded the general area.
small starter for @the-innumerable-heroes [for Nico Minoru]
One of Mara's favorite places to go on a Saturday night was the the Old Rabbit Club. The atmosphere was lively even in the darker corners of the bar and the company kept there was diverse and accepting, while they all still found comfort in the shadows. The hours that were kept were perfect to line up to the sleep schedule that Mara kept, and she usually arrived around 9pm and stayed until around 3.
The attraction for her wasn't even the alcohol. She barely wound up finishing three drinks in the entirety of her time spent there, and she always arrived with no less than two books that she could read through while listening to the music or while putting her headphones over her ears and allowing herself to merely tune out and write, or sketch.
No matter what, she was able to leave feeling better than she had when she arrived. On that Saturday in particular, she had opted to dress in her black jeans, combat boots, red tank top and a worn black leather jacket. She was sitting at the bar itself, sketching the still-life image of the bottles that lined the mirrored rack at the back of the bar. Her head was gently bobbing along to the beat of the music that was reverberating off the walls with a pleasant vibration. There was a Belgian Ale sat in front of her, within reach of her left hand as her right one continued to sketch.
She'd only been trying to head home when there was suddenly a massive, all-out brawl happening no more than thirty feet away from her. She recognized the criminal as Electro, but she'd never seen this masked vigilante before. There was a massive light show going on in front of her and she found herself gawking a little, obviously impressed. When the hero emerged victorious and landed on the ground with grace and power all at once, she found herself wandering over.
"Holy shit," Mara muttered quietly as her brows arched and she nodded, looking the other woman up and down. "I don't usually subscribe t' the whole super suit thing, but you look sick as hell." It was a genuine compliment, as rough as it came out due to just the kind of person that she was.
"Good job on the big baddie over there, by th' way," she added, pointing over at where Electro had been subdued and webbed up. "That lightning shit ya got is wicked." She held her hand out, a small habit of politeness that she'd managed to retain over the years despite generally being pretty oblivious to most social cues.
