原の火まつり Hara-no-hi-matsuri Hara Fire Festival
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A large bonfire festival is held at Otoshi Shrine in Taisi-cho, Ibo-gun, Hyogo Pref. on August 15 every year. This is the traditional Shinto event handed down for a long time. The festival consists of five parts; the field fire to exterminate harmful insects, the welcoming fire to receive the deceased ancestors, the send-off fire called “Tamashii-Okuri,” the tossing-up of a drum to pray for rich harvest, and the fireworks in the finale. The festival starts when the holy fire leaves Otoshi Shrine for the community center, where the torch of the welcoming fire is lit. The parade of torches carried by the local children goes through the town and finally returns to the shrine. In the ritual of “Tamashii-Okuri,” the villagers, who carry large burning torches, run about in the precinct. The Hara Fire Festival is a holy Shinto ritual to unite the villagers’ hearts.
- address
- Hara, Taishi-cho, Ibo-gun, Hyogo Prefecture 671-1502
- name
- Hara Fire Festival