Selangor to proceed with Bon Odori fest, says MB
Amirudin Shari said the state government would consult the Japanese embassy and cultural experts to get more information on the Bon Odori festival. (Bon Odori Malaysia pic)
PETALING JAYA: Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari says the Bon Odori festival will go on next month despite claims it has religious influences that are against Islamic teachings.
He added that the Selangor government would refer the matter to the state Islamic authorities.
This comes in the wake of the advice given by religious affairs minister Idris Ahmad for Muslims to not participate in the annual festival.
According to a Berita Harian report, Amirudin said the state government would be in communication with the Japanese embassy and researchers in relevant fields to get detailed information on the festival since the government had never received any objections over the last 30 years.
Yesterday, Idris advised Muslims not to participate in the festival, saying research conducted by the Islamic development department (Jakim) found that the festival was influenced by elements of other religions.
The annual Bon Odori festival, organised by the Japanese community in Malaysia, is making a return after a two-year hiatus because of Covid-19. It is celebrated by the Japanese Buddhist community to honour their ancestors.
The festival is set to take place in Selangor at the Shah Alam National Sports Complex (Panasonic) on July 16 and in Penang on July 30.
The Japan Club of Kuala Lumpur, one of the organisers, describes the Bon Odori festival as having started out as “a small affair for Japanese expatriates to immerse their children in Japanese culture in 1977. It has now grown into a much-awaited annual event of about 35,000 participants each year.”
Hahahaha... YA,YA, YA, PAS Minister got his research right.
ReplyDeleteBon Odori was originally, in fact, a Religious festival, the Japanese equivalent of the Chinese 7th Month Ghost festival observance, celebrated during the Japan's modern-era 7th month (July , after Japan dropped the Lunar Calendar during the Meiji era).
However, in heavily secular 21st Century Japan, hardly anyone pays attention to the religious aspects of the festival, and it is possible to celebrate Bon Odori purely in Japanese cultural terms.