プログレッシブ和英中辞典(第4版)の解説
ぼん【盆】
❶〔物をのせる平たい器〕a tray
茶盆
a tea tray
❷〔仏事〕the Bon festival; the Buddhist festival of the dead
説明
Bon, or Obon, is a Buddhist festival during which people pay respect to the deceased. On the evening of July 13 (for those following the Chinese lunar calendar), many people build a small mukaebi, or welcoming fire, to invite the spirits of their ancestors back home, make offerings at the family altar, and recite Buddhist sutras. On the evening of July 16, they build an okuribi, or farewell fire, to send the spirits off. In many parts of Japan, however, the Bon Festival is now celebrated according to the solar calendar and falls in mid-August. During the Bon holiday season, waves of homebound travelers cause transportation snarls and traffic jams.（意訳：仏教で祖先の霊をまつる行事．旧暦７月13日の夜，迎え火をたいて霊を自宅に迎え入れ，仏壇に供物を供え，経をあげ，16日の夜，送り火で霊を送り出す．現在では太陽暦の８月15日を中心に行う．この時期，帰省する人々によって各交通機関に帰省ラッシュが引き起こされる）
まるで盆と正月が一緒に来たような忙しさだった
We were as busy as if Bon and New Year's Day had come one on top of the other.
盆踊り
Bon dancing; the Bon festival dance