Martin and Chigusa had heard of a local fire festival at our local onsen. I tagged along to check it out. To my great disappointment, we were to late for roasting mochi (sweet [and gooey] rice cakes) but we were able to enjoy the other parts of the festival. We walked around the area, checking out a local glass making shop, the sight of the fire, and of course, the lines of festival food!
This fire festival was to burn all the old wooden shoes called geta that people wear at hotels and onsens. People burn them for good luck and health in the new year. They also burn the decorations that were used to decorate the temple for New Years. They must be burnt since they are holy and cannot be thrown away.
Here is the structure where the temple decorations and old geta are and will be burned. The round red things on top are called "daruma." They are used for luck in Japan. People draw one of the eyes in and make a wish. When the wish comes true, they color the other eye in.
All the geta...
Chigusa and I by the main fire site. This is also full of temple decorations to be burned. The giant wooden rectangles are designed to look like geta too!
After we checked everything out we did enjoy some festival food. I was so excited to see Hiroshima okonomiyaki. It was Christian and my favorite food on our trip in Sept! You can see them making the greasy festival deliciousness...
After dessert (a choco banana), the people started running with the fire. They started and ran to the site. It took them about 30 minutes. When they got to the site, they ran and chanted and screamed around and then attacked!
We thought the were crazy...running in shorts and shoes with fire in the snow...
Then everyone threw their torch on to the fire and cheered and clapped and yelled some more...
And of course...what better time for the fireworks...
They also lit all the geta on fire too...
It was cool watching everything burn but watching the shoes burn gave me images of concentration camp so that was a little unsettling...
After everything burned down the festival was over! It was an interesting and fun night...the only thing missing was roasted mochi!
This fire festival was to burn all the old wooden shoes called geta that people wear at hotels and onsens. People burn them for good luck and health in the new year. They also burn the decorations that were used to decorate the temple for New Years. They must be burnt since they are holy and cannot be thrown away.
Here is the structure where the temple decorations and old geta are and will be burned. The round red things on top are called "daruma." They are used for luck in Japan. People draw one of the eyes in and make a wish. When the wish comes true, they color the other eye in.
All the geta...
Chigusa and I by the main fire site. This is also full of temple decorations to be burned. The giant wooden rectangles are designed to look like geta too!
After we checked everything out we did enjoy some festival food. I was so excited to see Hiroshima okonomiyaki. It was Christian and my favorite food on our trip in Sept! You can see them making the greasy festival deliciousness...
After dessert (a choco banana), the people started running with the fire. They started and ran to the site. It took them about 30 minutes. When they got to the site, they ran and chanted and screamed around and then attacked!
We thought the were crazy...running in shorts and shoes with fire in the snow...
Then everyone threw their torch on to the fire and cheered and clapped and yelled some more...
And of course...what better time for the fireworks...
They also lit all the geta on fire too...
It was cool watching everything burn but watching the shoes burn gave me images of concentration camp so that was a little unsettling...
After everything burned down the festival was over! It was an interesting and fun night...the only thing missing was roasted mochi!
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