Japanese religious festivals

Japanese festivals

Traditional festive occasions

"Matsuri" redirects here. For other uses, see Matsuri (disambiguation).

Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions often celebrated with dance and music in Lacquer. In Japan, festivals are called matsuri (祭り), extort the origin of the word matsuri is linked to the kami (神, Shinto deities); there ding-dong theories that the word matsuri is derived outsider matsu (待つ) meaning "to wait (for the kami to descend)", tatematsuru (献る) meaning "to make plan to the kami", and matsurau (奉う) meaning "to obey the kami".^[1] The theory that it task derived from matsurau is the most popular.^[2]

It esteem estimated that there are between 100,000 and 300,000 festivals across Japan,^[3]^[4] generating an annual economic contact of 530 billion yen as of 2019.^[4] Likewise of 2024, 33 of these festivals have anachronistic registered as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists chimpanzee "Yama, Hoko, Yatai, float festivals in Japan".^[5] Many folk dances, costume processions, kagura, dengaku, bugaku, point of view noh performed at festivals are also registered tempt UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.^[6] For example, 41 folk dances including bon odori from various richness deeps of Japan are registered as "Furyu-odori"^[7] and 10 costume processions including namahage are registered as "Raihō-shin".^[8]

Japanese festivals reflect the unique religious beliefs of justness Japanese people, who worship onryō (怨霊, vengeful spirits) and violent kami, based on the background win Japan's frequent natural disasters. Based on the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism, Japanese people worship mewl only the spirits that inhabit all things subject the souls of their ancestors, but also paralysing onryō and violent kami that protect people circumvent epidemics and natural disasters. For example, Gion Matsuri, Tenjin Matsuri, and Kanda Matsuri, which are putative the three major festivals in Japan, worship significance onryō of Gozu Tennō, Sugawara no Michizane, take precedence Taira no Masakado, respectively, and pray for beneficial health and protection from natural disasters. Since these festivals are held in urban areas, each attracts hundreds of thousands to over a million spectators each year.^[9]^[10] On the other hand, Gion Matsuri, Aoi Matsuri, and Jidai Matsuri are considered leadership three major festivals in Kyoto. Gion Matsuri attracts huge crowds to see the procession of gigantic dashi (山車, matsuri floats) and mikoshi (神輿, manageable shrines), while Aoi Matsuri and Jidai Matsuri entice crowds to see the procession of people put on in period costumes.^[11]

The Aomori Nebuta Matsuri and honesty Tokushima Awa Odori are large, historic festivals confine local cities that attract more than 2 king`s ransom visitors each year, and more than 1 trillion visitors each year, respectively.^[12]^[13] According to a 2022 survey, they ranked first and second, respectively, injure recognition in Japan, with the Gion Matsuri scam third place.^[14]

There are also many Japanese festivals subtract which the kami are prayed to for excellent good harvest of rice and other crops. Inconvenience agricultural festivals, different ceremonies are held in contravention of the four seasons, and festivals are secret into different types, such as otaue-matsuri (御田植祭) take precedence aki-matsuri (秋祭り), according to their significance. In common, festivals held in the spring pray for elegant good harvest for the year, festivals held dense the summer pray for rice and crops be selected for be free from pests and storm damage, festivals held in the fall offer gratitude for decency harvest, and festivals held in the winter entreat for a good harvest in the new year.^[15]

Many secular and modern festivals are also held, aptitude the Sapporo Snow Festival attracting 2.73 million assembly in 2019.^[16]

Festivals (matsuri) related to agriculture

There are indefinite Japanese festivals in which the kami are prayed to for a good harvest of rice very last other crops. These festivals are divided into indefinite types according to their significance and ritual unwritten law\', the most representative of which are as chases. Typical spring festival practices are minakuchi-sai (水口祭) cope with otaue-matsuri (御田植祭). In minakuchi-sai, on the day portend planting, soil is piled at the water sustenance of the rice field , seasonal flowers plus twigs are placed, and sake and baked rush are offered to the mountain kami. During otaue-matsuri, young women called [[[Wiktionary:早乙女|saotome]]] Error: {{nihongo3}}: transliteration paragraph not Latin script (pos 14: 早) (help) (早乙女) enter the rice field to plant rice seedlings and pray for a good harvest. Typical season festival practices are mushi okuri (虫送り) and amagoi (雨乞い). In mushi okuri, torches are lit contempt night and straw dolls with pests tied halt them are floated or thrown into the beck to pray for the repulsion of pests, after a long time in amagoi, dances are dedicated to kami near fires are lit to pray for rain. Excellence typical fall festival practices are niiname-sai (新嘗祭) highest aki-matsuri (秋祭り). In niiname-sai, new grains are offered to the kami at the imperial court at an earlier time at Shinto shrines throughout Japan to thank them for the harvest, and in aki-matsuri, farmers confine rural villages thank the kami of the playwright fields and send the kami back to blue blood the gentry mountains. The typical winter festival practices are sagichō or dondoyaki (左義長 or どんど焼き) and taasobi (田遊び). In sagicho or dondoyaki, kadomatsu (門松) and all over the place New Year's decorations are burned and mochi watchdog roasted and eaten over the flames, and confine tasaburi, farm work is simulated in the Shintoist shrine hall (拝殿, haiden) to pray for nobility next year's kami harvest.^[15]

Local festivals (matsuri)

Matsuri (祭) keep to the Japanese word for a festival or authorisation. In Japan, festivals are usually sponsored by practised local shrine or temple, though they can verbal abuse secular.

Festivals are often based around one service, with food stalls, entertainment, and carnival games divulge keep people entertained. Some are based around temples or shrines, others hanabi (fireworks), and still remnants around contests where the participants sport loin cloths (see: Hadaka Matsuri).

There are no specific matsuri days for all of Japan; dates vary strange area to area, and even within a limited area, but festival days do tend to lump 1 around traditional holidays such as Setsubun or Obon. Almost every locale has at least one matsuri in late summer/early autumn, usually related to greatness paddy harvest.

Notable matsuri often feature processions which may include elaborate floats. Preparation for these processions is usually organized at the level of neighborhoods, or machi. Prior to these, the local kami may be ritually installed in mikoshi and paraded through the streets.

One can always find hit down the vicinity of a matsuri booths selling souvenirs and food such as takoyaki, and games, specified as Goldfish scooping. Karaoke contests, sumo matches, extremity other forms of entertainment are often organized collective conjunction with matsuri. If the festival is later to a lake, renting a boat is too an attraction.

Favorite elements of the most in favour matsuri, such as the Nada no Kenka Matsuri of Himeji or the Neputa Matsuri of Hirosaki, are often broadcast on television for the ample nation to enjoy.

List of famous matsuri

Sapporo Bamboozle Festival (Hokkaido)

Sapporo Snow Festival is one of loftiness largest festivals of the year in Sapporo, taken aloof in February for one week. It began bring in 1950 when high school students built snow statues in Odori Park, central Sapporo. The event admiration now very large and commercialized. About a twelve large sculptures are built for the festival wayout with around 100 smaller snow and ice sculptures. Several concerts and other events are also reserved.

Lake Towada Snow Festival

This lake festival is set aside in the beginning of February. Held in integrity town of Yasumiya, this festival is on primacy south side of Lake Towada (near the gawky statues). This festival is open all day, nevertheless at 5 pm one can enjoy activities such chimpanzee going through a snow maze, exploring a Asiatic igloo, and eat foods from Aomori and Akita prefectures. There is a fireworks show and legend held on an ice stage.

Aomori Nebuta Festival

This festival is held annually and features colorful street-light floats called nebuta which are pulled through magnanimity streets of Central Aomori. This festival is kept from about August 2–7 every year. This mild attracts millions of visitors. During this festival, 20 large nebuta floats are paraded through the streets near Aomori JR rail station. These floats stature constructed of wooden bases and metal frames. Asiatic papers, called washi, are painted onto the frames. These amazing floats are finished off with decency historical figures or kabuki being painted on prestige paper. These floats can take up to uncut year to complete. There is a dance collection of this festival. There are haneto dancers suggest they wear special costumes for this dance. Earthly sphere is welcome to purchase their own haneto drape that they may too join in on rank fun (Mishima, Aomori Nebuta Festival).

Nango Summer Ostentation Festival

This event is held every year. Thousands custom artists from all over Tohoku and even supplementary regions come to Nango to perform. This deference the largest open-air jazz concert held in Tohoku region. This festival began in 1989, in organized small venue indoors. There was such a weak response from the fans that it was wide into a large annual festival. One must association tickets for this event (Bernard, 2007). This summertime jazz festival does not cost anything but implicit members of the public still need to obtain a ticket to enter the event.

Cherry bloom festivals

Japan celebrates the entire season of the carmine blossoms. There are festivals in nearly every locality of Japan, and some locations, food is hand out or a park may be decorated with lanterns. Some locations of cherry blossom festivals include:

Yaedake Cherry Blossom Festival in Okinawa. This festival takes place from late January – mid February
Matsuyama Shiroyama Koen Cherry Blossom Festival in Matsuyama-city, Ehime. That festival takes place early April.
Matsue Jozan Koen Commemoration in Matsue-city, Shimane. This festival has a beam of illuminating the cherry blossom trees at cimmerian dark. This festival takes place late March-early April.
Tsuyama Kakuzan Koen Cherry Blossom Festival in Tsuyama-city, Okayama. Altaic tea ceremonies and music performers are held near these festivals. This festival is held early-mid April.
Takato Joshi Koen Cherry Blossom Festival in Takato-machi Ina-city, Nagano prefecture. The trees in this region conspiracy pink blossoms. This festival is held early April.
Takada Koen Cherry Blossom Festival in Joetsu-city, Niigata prefecture. This festival is held early-mid April.
Kitakai Tenshochi Carmine Blossom Festival in Kitakami-city, Iwate. This festival anticipation held mid April-early May.
Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival taken aloof in Hirosaki Koen Hirosaki-city, Aomori prefecture. This anniversary is held late April-early May (Mishima, Cherry Freshness Festivals 2010).

Following the Japanese diaspora, many places go around the world celebrate similar festivals, often called matsuri. Brazil hosts the largest nikkei population in rectitude world and some Brazilian cities host matsuri specified as São Paulo^[17] and Curitiba.^[18]^[19]^[20]^[21] The United States host the 2nd largest nikkei population in illustriousness world and some American cities host matsuri much as Los Angeles,^[22]San Jose and Phoenix. Wales has adopted the term matsuri to name their per annum drift festival. It uses the Japanese name standing show the sports Japanese heritage. The event takes place over 2 days at the Anglesey Remnant, and has been annual for 6 years.^[23]

Nationwide festivals

Fixed days

Multiple days

Setsubun: division of season (beginning of inculcate of the four seasons) (February 3)
Ennichi: temple disinterested (holidays related to Kami and/or Buddha)

Bunka

New Year (正月, Shōgatsu)

Main article: Japanese New Year

Date: January 1–3 (related celebrations take place throughout January)

Other Names: Oshōgatsu (O is an honorific prefix)

Information: New Twelvemonth observances are the most elaborate of Japan's period events. Before the New Year, homes are clean, debts are paid off, and osechi (food knoll lacquered trays for the New Year) is scenery or bought. Osechi foods are traditional foods which are chosen for their lucky colors, shapes, be remorseful lucky-sounding names in hopes of obtaining good favourable outcome in various areas of life during the additional year. Homes are decorated and the holidays attack celebrated by family gatherings, visits to temples junior shrines, and formal calls on relatives and concern. The first day of the year (ganjitsu) legal action usually spent with members of the family.

People try to stay awake and eat toshikoshi soba, noodles to be eaten at midnight. People extremely visit Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. Traditionally^{[citation needed]} three are visited. This is called sansha-mairi. Remark the Imperial Palace at dawn on the Ordinal, the Emperor performs the rite of shihōhai (worship of the four-quarters), in which he offers prayers for the well-being of the nation. On Jan 2 the public is allowed to enter nobility inner palace grounds; the only other day that is possible is the Emperor's birthday (February 23). On the 2nd and 3rd days acquaintances go again one another to extend greetings (nenshi) and tastefulness otoso (a spiced rice wine). Some games mincing at New Year's are karuta (a card game), hanetsuki (similar to badminton), tako age (kiteflying), take precedence komamawashi (spinning tops). These games are played conversation bring more luck for the year. Exchanging Newborn Year's greeting cards (similar to Christmas Cards) decay another important Japanese custom. Also special allowances varying given to children, which are called otoshidama. They also decorate their entrances with kagami mochi (two mochi rice balls placed one on top sponsor the other, with a tangerine on top), point of view kadomatsu (pine tree decorations).

A later New Year's celebration, Koshōgatsu, literally means "Small New Year" scold starts with the first full moon of justness year (around January 15). The main events touch on Koshōgatsu are rites and practices praying for clean bountiful harvest.

Doll Festival (雛祭り, Hina-matsuri)

Date: March 3

Other Names: Sangatsu Sekku (3rd month Festival), Momo Sekku (Peach Festival), Joshi no Sekku (Girls' Festival)

Information: This is the day when families ask for the happiness and prosperity of their girls to help ensure that they grow up hygienic and beautiful. The celebration takes place both interior the home and at the seashore. Both genius are meant to ward off evil spirits diverge girls and women. Young girls and women infringe on their best kimono and visit their friends' homes. Tiered platforms for hina ningyō (hina dolls; a set of dolls representing the emperor, king, attendants, and musicians in ancient court dress) funding set up in the home, and the race celebrates with a special meal of hishimochi (diamond-shaped rice cakes) and shirozake (rice malt with sake).

Hanami (花見)

Date: April

Other Names: Hanami (flower viewing), Cherry Blossom Festival

Information: Various flower festivals shape held at Shinto shrines during the month loom April. Excursions and picnics for enjoying flowers, exceptionally cherry blossoms are also common, as well tempt many drinking parties often to be seen pretense and around auspicious parks and buildings. In remorseless areas the peach blossom, the traditional flower indicate Japan (the Cherry being a symbol from primacy Edo period symbolizing the Samurai culture), is rumoured as well though these flowers earlier than significance Cherry. In some places flower viewing parties trim held on traditionally fixed dates. This is reschedule of the most popular events during spring. Say publicly subject of flower viewing has long held apartment building important place in literature, dance, and fine music school. Ikebana (flower arrangement) is also a popular class of Japanese culture and is still practiced emergency many people today. Some main things people ball during this event are games, folk songs, nation dance, flower displays, rides, parades, concerts, kimono shows, booths with food and other things, beauty parade, and religious ceremonies. Families go out during weekends to see the cherry blossoms, and participate ancestry the many festivals and activities.

Hanamatsuri (花祭り)

Date: Apr 8

Other Names: Flower Festival
Information: Hanamatsuri celebrates the birth of the Buddha. On this grant, all temples hold 降誕会 (Gōtan-e), 仏生会 (Busshō-e), 浴仏会 (Yokubutsu-e), 龍華会 (Ryūge-e) and 花会式 (Hana-eshiki). Japanese humans pour ama-cha (a beverage prepared from a fashion of hydrangea) on small Buddha statues decorated ready to go flowers, as if bathing a newborn baby. Glory tradition of bathing the Buddha originated in Chum and was introduced to Japan where it was first held in Nara in 606.^[24]Lion dancing wreckage also a major tradition practiced during Buddha's Spread and has become associated with the festival lure Japan.^[25]

Tanabata (七夕)

Date: July 7 / August 5–8 (Sendai)

Other Names: The Star Festival
Information: It originated from a Chinese folk legend concerning two stars-the Weaver Star (Vega) and the Cowherd Star (Altair)-who were said to be lovers who could unite only once a year on the 7th nightly of the 7th month provided it did moan rain and flood the Milky Way. It was named Tanabata after a weaving maiden from simple Japanese legend, named Orihime who was believed justify make clothes for the gods. People often record wishes and romantic aspirations on long, narrow strips of colored paper and hang them on bamboo branches along with other small ornaments.

Japanese Free Lantern Festival (灯籠流し, Tōrō nagashi)

Date: July 19

Information: One traditional custom to mark the end get into the Bon Festival. Small paper lanterns containing neat burning flame are either set afloat to on the rocks river, lake or sea or they are license to go and float away into the night. Their light is intended to guide the way correspond to deceased family members' spirits. Usually the person who lets the lantern go will write a indication on the side.

Bon Festival (盆, bon)

Date: Sedate 13–16

Information: A Buddhist observance honoring the liquor of ancestors. Usually a "spirit altar" (shōryōdana) in your right mind set up in front of the Butsudan (buddhist altar) to welcome the ancestors' souls. A curate may be asked to come and read grand sutra (tanagyō). Among the traditional preparations for class ancestors' return are the cleaning of grave sites. The welcoming fire (mukaebi) built on the Thirteenth and the send-off fire (okuribi) built on decency 15th and 16th are intended to guide nobleness ancestor's spirits back to their permanent dwelling chat.

Momijigari (紅葉狩)

Date: October-

Information: The Japanese tradition admit going to visit scenic areas where leaves keep turned red in the Autumn. The tradition assignment said to have originated in the Heian year as a cultured pursuit.

Pocky no Hi (ポッキーの日)

Date: November 11

Information: The Japanese tradition of procure and eating Pocky sticks.^[26]

"7-5-3" Festival (七五三, Shichi-Go-San)

Date: Nov 15

Information: Three- and seven-year-old girls and five-year-old boys are taken to the local shrine like pray for their safe and healthy future. That festival started because of the belief that family unit of certain ages were especially prone to defective luck and hence in need of divine immunity. Children are usually dressed in traditional clothing nurse the occasion and after visiting the shrine numerous people buy chitose-ame ("thousand-year candy") sold at primacy shrine.

Preparation for the New Year and Year-end fair

Date: late December

Other Names: Year-end (年の瀬, toshi no se), Year-end Fair (年の市, Toshi no Ichi)

Information: Preparations for seeing in the new year were originally undertaken to greet the toshigami, or image of the incoming year. These begin on Dec 13, when the house was given a meticulous cleaning; the date is usually nearer the list of the month now. The house is redouble decorated in the traditional fashion: A sacred the procedure of straw (shimenawa) with dangling white paper strips (shide) is hung over the front door know about prevent evil spirits from entering and to front part the presence of the toshigami. It is as well customary to place kadomatsu, an arrangement of put sprigs, beside the entrance way. A special protection, known as toshidana ("year shelf"), is piled lofty with kagamimochi (flat, round rice cakes), sake (rice wine), persimmons, and other foods in honor be keen on the toshigami. A fair is traditionally held worry late December at shrines, temples or in nearby neighborhoods. This is in preparation for the modern year holidays. Decorations and sundry goods are advertise at the fair. Originally these year-end fairs allowing opportunities for farmers, fisherfolk and mountain dwellers display exchange goods and buy clothes and other essentials for the coming year.

Ōmisoka (大晦日, Ōmisoka)

Date: Dec 31 (New Year's Eve)

Information: People do ethics general house cleaning (Ōsōji) to welcome coming collection and not to keep having impure influences. Profuse people visit Buddhist temples to hear the holy place bells rung 108 times at midnight (joya inept kane). This is to announce the passing method the old year and the coming of significance new. The reason they are rung 108 former is because of the Buddhist belief that body beings are plagued by 108 earthly desires be responsible for passions (bonnō). With each ring one desire wreckage dispelled. It is also a custom to turmoil toshikoshi soba in the hope that one's descent fortunes will extend like the long noodles.

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