Spirit Horses & Oxen - "精霊馬" - "Shoryo-Uma & Shoryo-Ushi" - [Charms]

Spirit Horses & Oxen. - しょうりょううま - aka: 精霊馬, 牛馬 - [Folkcrafts | Charms] 

• About: An offering for the 3 day long Obon festival, held annually mid July (or August.) these "Shoryo-Uma & Shoryo-Ushi" are said to be the vehicles in which your families ancestors arrive during the celebration (& depart during the subsequent memorials.) - "A speedy cucumber horse for a swift delivery home from the afterlife, and a sturdy eggplant ox for a leisurely trip back with plenty of gifts." - The Eggplant cow and Cucumber horse are Customarily made by kids with cut up chopsticks and displayed as part of the families Butsudan (or "Shoyro-dana.") spiritual alters along side a meal, lanterns and snacks. otherwise they are often displayed near the front porch (accompanied by incense) to help guide the ancestors back home during the holidays. - It's said that you should place them facing inwards (towards the home) to welcome your ancestors in, and outward (away from the home) when its time for them to go. - [Overall This Custom of course varies depending on region & religion. Different vegetables such as gourds, sugarcane or others are also used. In Western Japan, the lantern festival is much more common during this period!] 

It should be noted that when the holiday is over, its important to dispose of these properly as a sign of gratitude, when you're finished with the vegetables: DO NOT EAT THEM. - [To the uninitiated, it might seem like a bit of a waste? however it makes sense, Obon is 3 days long, and during the hottest time of the year thus the fruit has likely gone bad whilst on display.] Generally, its advised to cleanse them with salt, wrap the veggies in paper and bury them in the yard (or compost), send them down the river, or bring them to your local temple for a proper ceremonial burning/disposal.

its likely the custom of creating these veggie horses began sometime in the Heian period (794 to 1185) with noble families using gourds, the custom reached peak popularity in the Edo period (1603 to 1868) when cucumbers & eggplants became more easily available during the summertime. - its sometimes said that this custom has likely continued on as a "make work project" so that young kids would not feel left out (or where kept busy/distracted.) during the otherwise boring or complicated holiday/memorial prep. - a simple craft to keep Taro-kun busy while you make dinner. - but its done in a way that the kids feel included and that what they're doing is important to help with the celebration - (Whats more important than ensuring your ancestors safe arrival for the holidays?) - My Friends in Japan have told me that you don't see as many Shoryo-dama (the alters) in general these days because its quite expensive to prepare something that you'll only use 3-4 times a year - that's not to say the custom of eggplant horses an cows are in any danger of dying off, in fact In recent years, online you can see all sorts of cool & outrageous creations people make around this time; from realistic horses, to robots, to eldritch eggplant horrors. Some places even hold contests to see who can get the most creative with their designs! its a fun and interesting way to carry on the tradition!!

Summertime is of course "Japans Spooky Season" but the Obon festival is generally a bit more like a family get together & celebration (including the spirits of the dearly departed) During Obon, families reunite to pay respects & clean the ancestral graves, light bonfires, dance the bon-odori, eat, drink & be merry. - Details of the above of course differ depending on the time period, region and religious sect to which the family belongs, to learn more about Obon & Japanese customs, i'd highly recommend "Lets ask Shogo's" video on the subject!

[Although they feel quite similar, These should not be confused with the Lucky Lemon pig which is in fact, an American craft, dating back to the 1880's]

[as they appear in animal crossing new horizons]

[art sticker by @samkalensky (yo thats me!) part of my yokai and japanese folklore collection of stickers! follow for many more!]