Fantastic February Festivities
The first quarter of the New Year ushers in a number of festivities to look forward to in Japan. Here are some of the exciting festivals in February.
Snow Sculpture of Stockholm Cathedral, Sapporo Snow Festival
Sapporo Yuki-matsuri (Sapporo Snow Festival)–a week-long annual winter festival held in Odori Park, Sapporo, every second week of February. Millions of people visit Sapporo to see the hundreds of ice sculptures and snow statues. Sapporo’s International Snow Sculpture competition has been a much anticipated event since 1974, but the Snow festival itself began in 1950 when six high school students built snow statues at Odori Park. In 1955, The Japan Self- defense Forces from the nearby Makomanai base joined and built massive snow sculptures that made the event famous, and the tradition continues today.
Setsubun Mantoro (Lantern Festival)–the 3rd of February marks the transition from winter to spring in Japan and is known as Setsubun. In Nara, at the Kasuga Grand Shrine (Kasuga-taisha), over 3,000 stone lanterns are lit up from usually from 6:30 to 9 in the evening, a sight to behold. The lighting of the lanterns only happens three days in the whole year: every 3rd of February, and on the 14th and 15th of August for the Obon Mantoro Festival. It’s been a tradition for about 800 years.
Kamakura Snow Festival–held every 15th and 16th of February in Yokote City. In Japan, carving out a mound of snow to create a room is called a kamakura. The Kamakura Snow Festival has more than 100 miniature and regular-sized kamakuras. The festival is a 400-year-old tradition that dates back to the Japanese practice where New Year decorations are returned to the gods by burning them as well the custom of children chasing away birds that damage crops. The kamakuras have altars that are set up to honor the water gods to bless the people with plenty of clear water. People also offer sake and rice cakes to the gods and children invite visitors to come inside the kamakura for some sweet fermented rice brew.
Saidai-ji Eyo Hadaka Matsuri (Naked Festival at Saidai-ji Temple)–every 3rd Saturday of February in Okayama. Thousands of men wearing only loincloths grapple each other hoping to get a pair of lucky sacred sticks that are thrown into the crowd by a priest. The man who is able to thrust the sticks in a wooden box filled with rice is considered the lucky one who will be blessed with a whole year of happiness. There are a number of other lucky items tossed into the crown of half naked men. But trying to get them for yourself among a crowd of thousands is quite a task.
