noun
welcoming the spirits of the dead
Refers to the Bon festival custom of welcoming the spirits of ancestors back to the home, typically involving a small fire or lantern at the entrance.
お盆の初日には、家の前で霊迎えの火を焚きます。
On the first day of Obon, we light a welcoming fire for the spirits in front of the house.
霊送り is the corresponding custom of sending the spirits back at the end of Obon, while 霊迎え is the welcoming at the beginning.
Compound of 霊 (tama, 'spirit') and 迎え (mukae, 'welcoming'), from the verb 迎える (mukaeru). The reading たまむかえ reflects a rendaku-like voicing change.