Tenjin Festival

The Tenjin Festival is one of the top three festivals in Japan. In the city's Kitano-Tenmangu Shrine, dedicated to Michizane Sugawara, who was deified as a god of learning, holds the festival as one of its summer observances. It is an ancient event that is said to date back to the year 951, when purification rites were performed to protect against the infectious diseases which were rampant in the hot and humid summer months.


The two-day festival takes place on July 24-25. On the 24th a child, who represents the god holding a long halberd, the kamihoko, accompanies a guardian of the shrine to a boat and they are rowed out onto the river. There, in a Shinto rite called hokonagashi the halberd is thrown into the river. On the following day, the 25th, there is an event known as funatogo. This is an on-the-water festival during which, from the evening until about ten at night, some 100 river boats crowd onto the Okawa River. Enveloping the festival are the musical accompaniments, including Kagura, an ancient Shinto ceremonial music for the gods, which are played on the ground, on bridges, and on boats. Overhead, aerial fireworks light up the night sky with bright colors.

During the Edo period (1603-1868) the prospering commercial city of Osaka held the Tenjin Festival on an even grander scale than today. For example, at the peak of the city's prosperity, rivalling the funatogo was another highlight-the entry of more than 70 danjiri (festival floats) into the shrine precincts on the 24th of July. These days only a single danjiri remains. People from each district of the city would also make gorgeous dolls that were about 2.4 meters (7.9 feet) tall and stand these up in front of their houses to welcome the spirits of the gods. Currently, about 15 dolls are still preserved, and some of these are put on display in the shrine precincts during the days of the festival.

(by Haru ~_~")

Tanabata Festival

Tanabata (七夕 tanabata?), meaning "Seven Evenings") is a Japanese star festival, derived from Obon traditions and the Chinese star festival, Qi Xi. The festival is usually held on July 7, and celebrates the meeting of Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair). The Milky Way, a river made from stars that crosses the sky, separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year. This special day is the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the lunisolar calendar.

History
The festival originated from The Festival to Plead for Skills (乞巧節; qǐ qiǎo jié), an alternative name for Qi Xi, which was celebrated in the Kyoto Imperial Palace from the Heian Period. The festival spread to the general public by the early Edo period, became mixed with various Obon traditions, and developed into the modern Tanabata festival. In the Edo period, girls wished for better sewing and craftsmanship, and boys wished for better handwriting by writing wishes on strips of paper. At this time, the custom was to use dew left on Taro leaves to create the ink used to write wishes.

Customs

In present-day Japan, people generally celebrate this day by writing wishes, sometimes in the form of poetry, on tanzaku (短冊 tanzaku?), small pieces of paper, and hanging them on bamboo, sometimes with other decorations. The bamboo and decorations are often set afloat on a river or burned after the festival, around midnight or on the next day. This resembles the custom of floating paper ships and candles on rivers during Obon. Many areas in Japan have their own Tanabata customs, which are mostly related to local Obon traditions.

There is also a traditional song that goes with Tanabata that is taught to almost every Japanese child:
Sasa no ha sara-sara (笹の葉　さらさら)
Nokiba ni yureru (軒端にゆれる　　)
Ohoshi-sama kira-kira (お星様　キラキラ)
Kin Gin sunago (金銀砂ご　　　　)

Translation:
The bamboo leaves, rustle, rustle,
shaking away in the eaves.
The stars go twinkle, twinkle;
Gold and silver grains of sand.

Date
The original Tanabata date was based on the Japanese lunisolar calendar, which is about a month behind the Gregorian calendar. As a result, some festivals are held on July 7, some are held on a few days around August 7, while the others are still held on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the traditional Japanese lunisolar calendar, which is usually in the Gregorian Calendar's August.

The Gregorian dates of "the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the Japanese lunisolar calendar" for upcoming years are:

1. 2007-08-19
2. 2008-08-07
3. 2009-08-26
4. 2010-08-16
5. 2011-08-06
6. 2012-08-24 (Note: Chinese one is 2012-08-23 because of difference in time.)
7. 2013-08-13
8. 2014-08-02
9. 2015-08-20
10. 2016-08-09

Tanabata festivals

Large-scale Tanabata festivals are held in many places in Japan, mainly along shopping malls and streets, which are decorated with large, colorful streamers. The most famous Tanabata festival is held in Sendai from August 5 to 8. In the Kantō area, the biggest Tanabata festival is held in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa for a few days around July 7. A Tanabata festival is also held in São Paulo, Brazil around the first weekend of July.

Although Tanabata festivals vary from region to region, most festivals involve Tanabata decoration competitions. Other events may include parades and Miss Tanabata contests. Like other Japanese festivals, many outdoor stalls sell food, provide carnival games, etc., and add to the festive atmosphere.

By Harith ~_~

Gion Matsuri

Gion Matsuri is one of the largest festivals in Japan. During the month of July, the ancient capital city of Kyoto seems to travel back in time.

Kyoto, approximately 200 miles west of Tokyo and next to Osaka, is one of the few Japanese cities left where you can still see what Japan looked like many years ago. There are over 1800 temples and shrines in Kyoto, with many of them hundreds of years old. Kyoto is the perfect place to visit if you are interested in ancient Japanese history and Gion Matsuri is the time to visit Kyoto.

The month long celebration starts start July 1st. Throughout July, there are street fairs with games and Japanese festival food like takoyaki (balls of egg battered octopus) and tomorokoshi (grilled ears of corn brushed with soy sauce.) The parade floats are also constructed on the city streets and some floats can be toured. Many festival goers dress in yukata (light summer kimonos) and geta (high wooden shoes.)

Gion Matsuri actually started under very oppressive circumstances in 869 when a plague raged through Kyoto. A priest of the Yasaka (or Gion) shrine led a procession of people through kyoto in an attempt to appease the Shinto gods. The plague soon ended but this event became a popular festival with large floats (Hoko & Yama) now being paraded through Kyoto.

Gion Matsuri reaches a high point on the 17th during Yamahoko Junko when 32 Yama & Hoko floats are paraded through downtown Kyoto. The floats, some of which weigh over 10 tons are very elaborate and many are decorated with Dutch and Turkish tapestries from the 15th century.

Each of the large Hoko floats carries musicians and truly looks a couple of centuries out of place as it is pulled through the streets. The Hoko floats are so big that they must be pulled by a large team of attendants.

One the most interesting sights during Gion Matsuri is to watch the floats being turned. The Hoko and Yama are pivoted using blocks of wood in an elaborate maneuver to get them to turn at right angles.

Yamahoko Junko is the one part of Gion Matsuri that visitors shouldn't miss. It is truly like no other parade you will ever see.

After Yamahoko Junko, there is still plenty to do in Kyoto. The parade goes right through Kyoto's downtown shopping district, which has large department stores like Takashimaya and markets like Nishiki-Koji.

There are also many nearby temples and shrines that are worth visiting. Many temples are very close to each other which makes for perfect walking tours. Between temple tours, energy can be replenished at Kyoto's many tachigui. These are stand-up noodle bars where you can get a bowl of soba or udon for a couple of dollars.

posted by harith ~_~"

Aoi Matsuri

Festival: Aoi Matsuri
Area: Kyoto

Kamigamo-Jinja (Shrines) and Shimogamo-Jinja (Shrines) have a parade procession of colorful costumes of the Heian Period in which more than 600 people participate. This "Aoi Matsuri" is one of the three largest festivals in Kyoto.

History:

The festival owes its existence to bad weather and an impious populace. Terrible storms had been battering the country and the ruler of the day, Emperor Kimmei, had discovered from a soothsayer that the gods of the Kamo shrines were furious at the peoples' impiety and had called up the storms as punishment. In order to make amends the Emperor sent some of his courtiers to pay homage to the Kamigamo and Shimogamo shrines and present offerings to the irate gods. The storms soon abated and the people were able to enjoy abundant harvests. The festival continues to this day in commemoration of these events.

The procession through the city is solemn and slow, with courtiers of every rank and file observing the same centuries-old order. The Shimogamo Shrine is the first to be reached and here prayers are offered, warriors dance and a horse dedicated to consoling the gods demonstrates its speed at running, before the participants depart for the Kamigamo Shrine and the final rituals of the day.

What we can see during the celebration:

More than 600 people dressed in period costumes follow behind decorated ox-drawn carriages in the area around the Kamigamo Shrine. Everyone and everything involved in the procession is adorned with the delightful hollyhock flowers that have given the festival its name. The rituals and customs of this festival have been followed since the 6th century, during the Heian period (764-1185).

posted by harith(~,~)

Bon Festival (a festival in summer)

Bon Festival

The 13th through 16th of August is called obon in Japan. Obon is a Buddhist event and one of the most important traditions for Japanese people. It is the period of praying for the repose of the souls of one's ancestors. People believe that their ancestors' spirits come back to their homes to be reunited with their family during obon.

Bon Dance (盆踊り)
During obon, bon odori (folk dances) are held all over Japan. The kind of dance varies from area to area. People wearing yukata (summer kimono) go to the neighborhood shrine, temple, or park and dance around a yagura (stage) set up there. Anyone can participate in the dance. Join the circle and imitate what others are doing. Awa odori of Tokushima and bon odori at Yasukuni Shrine, Tokyo are very famous.
Also, Toro Nagashi (floating paper lanterns) are held in some areas. On the evening of the 15th, people send off ancestor's spirits with a paper lantern, lit by a candle inside and floated down a river to the ocean.Fireworks displays (Hanabi-taikai) are often held during obon. It is a typical Japanese summer scene to see hanabi.

by Aeris