PASADENA — Pasadena Buddhist Temple will present “Obonathon,” a virtual Obon live event, on Saturday, July 18, at 4 p.m. on YouTube.
The temple’s first virtual telethon, hosted by long-time Obon emcee Jeanne Toshima, will bring you the best of the annual Obon Festival — the boom of the taiko drum; the quiet beauty of the tea ceremony; martial arts demonstrations; ikebana and bonsai; surprise guests and more. The schedule:
4 p.m.: Gassho by Rev. Gregory Gibbs, explanations of the show, and special welcomes.
4:10 p.m.: Virtual walkthrough and demonstrations. Tea ceremony, virtual marketplace, silent auction, martial arts, flower arranging, communitiy partners and taiko.
6 p.m.: Explanation of Bon Odori and practice videos.
6:30 p.m.: Bon Odori party. View the livestream of the Zoom party on YouTube. Go to https://www.pasadenabuddhisttemple.org/virtual-obon-schedule-and-links.html to register. Link to YouTube and Facebook will be listed later.
The Silent Auction is already in progress and will conclude on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. This year’s auction offers goods and services that you can enjoy safe at home or when it is safe to venture out again.
For more information, visit: www.pasadenabuddhisttemple.org