Obon consists of four days:
Day 1(Mukaebi): Obo festival begins with Mukaebi practice which means welcoming fire. People make a small bonfire in front of their houses in order to guide the spirits. Some people visit to the cementery to clean up the family's grave and pray for their ancestors. Foods and sweets are offered to their late loved ones.
Day 2 and day 3(Hoyo/Kuyo): Families invite a Buddhist priest to their homes to recite sutra and perform a memorial serives, which are known as Hoyo or Kuyo in Japanese.
Day 4(Okuribi): On the last day of the festival, Obon concludes with another bonfire lighting up the sky and people perform dances for the deceased. The most beautiful part of the tradition is floating lantern, they are known as toro nagashi in Japanese. Inside each toro nagashi is a candle, that will eventually burn out and the lantern will them float down a river.
