Around the world it is mostly
understood that if you are a part of a religion you are likely to stick to the
cultural beliefs and moreover celebrations! Australia is
regarded as one the largest multicultural hot-spots in the world and we embrace
the many different cultural events throughout the year. Our adoption of events such as the Holi Festival of Colours (originating form India) - and giving it an Aussie twist thus molding it into the annual Color Run! And the New
Years Eve celebrations on the Sydney Harbor Bridge paints the picture of a
diverse culture. However, across the
globe Japanese people have ‘multi-religions’.
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| The Color Run...the Aussie adoption of India's Holi Festival! |
Indeed, they combine
cultural and religious aspects of Buddhism and Christianity. For example, their weddings take Christian style but their
funerals take Buddhism style (Till Death Do Us Part, right?).They
visit the shrines for New Year’s good luck though they celebrate Christmas. So...why
does this bizarre thing happen? Why embrace multiple
aspects of the different paths?
The thing is because many Japanese people aren’t
willing to learn the doctrines by entering a specific religion. Instead of
that, they worship ancestors. They think ancestors look after people who are alive today even
though they’ve already passed away.
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| Traditional Christian Wedding in Japan |
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| Christmas in Japan - Light em Up! |
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| A traditional Buddhist Funeral Shrine |
For a more detailed view on the topic visit these great links:
- http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2061.html
- http://gojapan.about.com/cs/traditionculture/a/japanesewedding.htm
- http://www.seiyaku.com/seiyaku/en/western-wedding.html
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