Abare Festival is a Japanese festival commonly known as the Fire & Violence Festival[citation needed].
Abare Festival is reputed the most 'fierce' festivals in not only
for Japanese people but also for non-Japanese people, who often call it
"the Fire & Violence Festival". Visitors can watch Kiriko
(キリコ)(Noto town’s unique illuminated lantern floats) and Mikoshi (みこし)
(portable shrine) being carried through the streets, eat delicious
festival foods, hear Taiko drums and see many people dressed in their
summer festival wear (ゆかた).
The Kirikos and Mikoshis are first blessed by priests and sake is poured
over them and into the mouths of the men who carry them. From this
point onwards, sake flows freely all night long.
The purpose of this festival is to hustle bravely and violently as its
name indicates. It is said that the more violently people behave, the
more god will delight as this rampage represents enshrined Susanoo no Mikoto, who is known as a destructive deity.
...The men will then jump into the river and bash the Mikoshi against the
bridge's concrete support beam while splashing one another. Handling the Mikoshi this way means following the divine will, hence such rough handling is actually a manner of prayer.[6]
The men vigorously splash one another to protect themselves from the fire.
The children usually wear wet towels draped over their heads to protect them from the sparks.[5]
Abare Festival is dedicated to Yasaka Shrine in Ushitsu (a village inside of Noto Town).
Despite the name, the Fire and Violence festival is safe to attend for
all ages. The 12 men destroying the Mikoshi are the only ones that are
in any danger of physical harm.
Susanoo (須佐之男 (スサノオ) romanized as Susano-o, Susa-no-O and Susanowo), also known as Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto (建速須佐之男命) is the Shinto god of the sea and storms. He is also considered to be ruler of Yomi.
No comments:
Post a Comment