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.
Standard kanji spelling for the Bon festival custom of welcoming ancestral spirits.
Alternate kanji spelling using 魂 (spirit/soul); less common but still encountered.
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.