Every August they hold a massive festival in Aomori city called the Nebuta Festival. No one seems to be absolutely sure how the festival started. But it possibly grew out of the Chinese tanebata festival, where the people create wooden framed structures wrapped in paper and float them out on the water to purify themselves and send the evil spirits out to sea. Over time, the structures grew in size and complexity. I don't know how much the Japanese focus on the historical meaning of the festival. It's more of an opportunity to come together as a city and celebrate!
People from all around the area gather downtown and line the streets, cheering and clapping as giant glowing floats and hundreds of chanting dancers parade by. Attending this festival has been on my Japan bucket list since we arrived, but it just never worked with my schedule till now. I feel like I keep repeating myself by saying this - but I am so thankful that James was able to go with me and share in this fun, albeit repetitive memory. (The parade was certainly a spectacle, but they played the same song over and over again, every group of people that marched past chanted the same meaningless phrase, and slowly the floats all started to run together...) Here are a few pictures and a video to give you an idea of the sights and sounds of Nebuta!
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| It was a little crowded... |
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| The people had these bells pinned to their yukata so the air was filled with jingling. |
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| One of the Nebuta Floats |
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| Taiko drummers! Love it! |
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We had fun taking many, many photos. Some of the ladies from the
13th sent photos to their husbands via text message. |
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| James and I in front of a float. |
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| Me with my friends! We had so much fun! |
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| The Japanese people LOVE American babies! |
Below is a video showing the parade and capturing a snippet of the one song we got to listen to for three hours straight!
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