Japanese Festivals in February Posted by Ginny on Feb 6, 2011 in Culture
February is an interesting month of Japanese festivals. Let’s take a look at some of these festivals:
Agon Shu no Hoshi Matsuri (阿含の星まつり) takes place in Yamashina (山科), Kyōto (京都) on the eleventh of February. Many prayer sticks are burned in large bonfires to ensure that the prayers will come true.
Onda Matsuri (おんだ祭り) takes place in Asukamura (明日香村,), Nara (奈良). There is a special ritual where a person dresses as a demon and hits another person with a bamboo stick. This ritual is thought to chase away evil spirits and make the person immune to diseases.
The Takewari Matsuri (竹割り祭り) takes place in Kaga (加賀), Ishikawa (石川). In this festival men dress in white and throw long bamboo logs to the ground. The throwing of logs symbolizes an ancient legend where a strong man defeated a large snake.
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