Otaue Matsuri |
Because of the close relationship between festivals and labor, Aizu festivals
are held throughout the year, from the beginning of the year until spring,
even while the area is buried in snow, on into the summer heat and humidity,
and continuing until after the rice harvest has ended. Deeply engrained aspects
of everyday life, such as prayers for a bountiful harvest and commercial prosperity,
live on quietly in the traditional festivals in the Aizu basin.
Rice Planting Festival
The festival is held at Isasumi Shrine in Aizu-Takada on July 12th. One of three
major rice-planting festivals in Japan, it features the Saotome dance. The procession
includes rice-planting figures wearing traditional Japanese sedge hats.
Higashiyamaonsen Bonodori |
Aizu Festivals
Its four prominent annual festivals beautifully represent each of Aizu's four
distinct seasons. The three-day autumn festival, which is held from September
22nd until the 24th, features a large samurai procession that winds its way
through the streets of the city around Tsuruga Castle. The celebrations include
a drum and fife band, a children's parade, and the famous O-Bon dance and lantern
parade during the evening. It is a favorite festival with foreign tourists.
Behind the merry atmosphere of Aizu festivals lies a melancholy note that stems
from a realization that the year is coming to an end. As the autumn wind begins
to blow, the people of Aizu are busy preparing for winter. In addition to the
autumn festival, there is the Higanjishi in Spring, the Summer Festival, and
the Sainokami in winter.
Higashiyama Summer Festival
The most widely recognized O-Bon dance in the Aizu area, the Higashiyama Bon-Odori
is held in Aizu Wakamatsu from August 13th through the 20th. Colorful towers
are placed in the Yugawa River, and the poignant folk song, Aizu Bandai-san,
fills the night air as the throng of dancers grows.
Ura-Bandai Hi no Yama Matsuri |
Volcano Festival
Commonly known as "the land of volcanoes and lakes," Kita Shiobara
hosts the largest festival in Ura-Bandai. Held annually on July 21st, dancers
wearing strange costumes perform the O-Bon dance, while lantern offerings are
set afloat. There are many other kinds of entertainment, including fireworks
and musical events. Like the Aizu festival, it is very popular among foreign
tourists.
Bandai Festival
This lively annual event is held at Inawashiro on the latter part of July. Started
as a ceremony to pray for the souls of the victims of the 1888 Mt. Bandai eruption,
it now includes a fife and drum parade, a torchlight procession, and fireworks.
Tourists come from far away to enjoy this festival.
