On Sunday afternoon, Santa Maria was host to the Guadalupe Buddhist Church's annual Obon Festival.
The festival is a widely-celebrated tradition honoring Japanese culture and heritage.
Locals visited the Santa Maria Veterans Memorial Center to immerse themselves in Japanese culture by enjoying food, traditional dancing, and performances.
The festival also offered a raffle and a silent auction.
Christopher Mori, a member of the Guadalupe Buddhist Church, told KSBY about why the event is meaningful.
"It is a festival where we honor our ancestors, and also the community at large. A lot of people come back to their hometowns especially for Obon, and to reconnect [with] your family ties, friends and neighbors, [and] community ties," Mori said.
According to organizers, the Santa Maria Obon Festival has been a long-time tradition, being held every year since before the Japanese-American community returned to the Central Coast following World War II.
