ceremonial bonfire for sending off spirits during Obon
A fire lit on the final evening of Obon to guide the spirits of the ancestors back to the other world. Part of Japanese Buddhist tradition.
On the last day of Obon, we light a send-off fire to see off the spirits of our ancestors.
welcoming fire for returning spirits
Compound of 送り (okuri, 'sending off') + 火 (hi, 'fire'), with rendaku voicing hi → bi. The term is specific to the Obon festival.