Today is a very special festival day in Aichi Prefecture. I wish I'd had the day off to have a peek and take some pictures.
For today, my friends, was Hadaka Matsuri.
Roughly translated, this is "The Naked Man Festival."
If you want to see some pictures, this site has some from Inazawa city, which is relatively nearby.
One man is chosen as the "God man" and he prays in the temple, eating only rice and water, for several days before the festival. On the festival day, starting at one pm, he comes out into the daylight. And the daylight, the cold February daylight, is also shining upon hosts of loincloth-clad men, all jostling each other for a chance to touch the completely naked "God man." If they touch him, they will have happiness. All the running about and jostling makes the men very hot, actually, and onlookers through cold water over them. This water actually creates steam.
This is the sort of thing my students tell me about on a day to day basis. So, if you're in the mood, welcome the Lunar New Year with a little bit of nakedness. Happy Hadaka Mitsuri! Oh, and you may have noticed that it's all men. Because you know what? Women just don't do that sort of thing. :)
Posted by Mandy at February 21, 2005 11:26 PMthat is too funny!!! i wanna throw cold water on hot naked men to make them cry!
Posted by: Becky at February 22, 2005 11:05 AM