Weird and Wonderful Festivals (Events in Japan)

Member Name: daniel_san

Product:	Events in Japan
Date:	24/07/02 (122 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Highly entertaining to watch, even better to participate in.

Disadvantages: Gets a little on the crowded side

Camera-wielding tourists and sumo-wrestlers might be some of the images attributed to the far-eastern nation of Japan, but I definitely think that its bizarre festivals should be added to the list.

First, a little historical info about Japanese festivals, or "matsuris". Historically, much religious significance was attached to "matsuris". The beginning of the year "matsuris" were observed to pray for a decent harvest. The spring "matsuris" were to inform the gods of the start of an agricultural season, whilst the summer "matsuris" prayed for the eradication of pests. Finally, the autumn "matsuri" was to give thanks to the gods for a decent harvest. In other words, "matsuris" were rather important events for the agrarian population of Japan.

However, nowadays, many "matsuris" have lost that religious element and seem only to entail thousands of inebriated participants and bemused onlookers. The most entertaining festivals usually involve portable shrines or "mikoshi" shouldered by red-faced, chanting men, stumbling in all directions and jostling the mikoshi up and down. (I discovered that the reason for this energetic jostling was to amuse the god inside the "mikoshi"- and that it wasn't just the alcohol). I was lucky enough to see one such entertaining festival in Japan.

The "Hadaka Matsuri", which translates as "The Naked Man's Festival" was a rather surreal experience, and I was one of 250,000 spectators who came to behold the spectacle of 3,000 participants clad only in loin cloths brave the bitter February cold. Held every year in February in the Aichi Prefecture, the participants, ranging from granddads to young children, shoulder huge colourfully decorated poles and stumble and chant their way through the streets with the aim of reaching the shrine. The climax of the festival occurs after these huge bambo
o poles have been offered to the shrine. The participants line the road to the shrine eagerly awaiting one holy man, who has been in solitary meditation for the previous two days, and is completely shaven from head to toe. It is believed that by touching this one holy man, you will be brought good luck. Now, the Japanese are a very passionate people as it is, but when fuelled by cheap rice-wine and the prospect of good luck, it is quite a violent affair when 3000 people try and touch one person who runs a gauntlet in a rather narrow area. So frenzied were the attempts to touch this holy man, and without exaggeration, I saw many bleeding from scratch marks and bruised from the stampede. Even my usually restrained and quiet Australian friend, who participated in the frenzy, came up to me with a wild, glazed look in his eyes, raving about how “he had touched him….” All in all, it was a most enjoyable (and bizarre) day.

Japan is a weird and wonderful country that has many surprises in store- and in comparison to some of the other festivals, the "Naked Man's Festival" is a moderate affair... I would really recommend getting to these festivals if you get a chance!

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