Lesson96 The dead return
A Festival for the Dead is held once a year in Japan. This festival is a cheerful occasion, for on t
his day, the dead are said to return to their homes and they are welcomed by the living. As they are
expected to be hungry after their long journey, food is laid out for them. Specially-made lanterns
are hung outside each house to help the dead to find their way. All night long, people dance and sin
g. In the early morning, the food that had been laid out for the dead is thrown into a river or into
the sea as it is considered unlucky for anyone living to eat it. In towns that are near the sea, th
e tiny lanterns which had been hung in the streets the night before, are placed into the water when
the festival is over. Thousands of lanterns slowly drift out to sea guiding the dead on their retur
n journey to the other world. This is a moving spectacle, for crowds of people stand on the shore wa
tching the lanterns drifting away until they can be seen no more.