Gozan_no_Okuribi
Gozan no Okuribi
Annual festival in Kyoto, Japan
Gozan no Okuribi (五山送り火, roughly "The Five Mountainous Send-Off Fires"), more commonly known as Daimonji (大文字, roughly "big letter"), is a festival in Kyoto, Japan. It is the culmination of the Obon festival on August 16, in which five giant bonfires are lit on mountains surrounding the city. It signifies the moment when the spirits of deceased family members, who are said to visit this world during Obon, are believed to be returning to the spirit world—thus the name Okuribi (送り火, roughly "send-off fire").