Tokyo Time
It will be getting crazy in Omuta next week. The July だいじゃやま Festival is starting.Omuta is a former coal-mining town in southern Fukuoka Prefecture, not that far from Karatsu. The festival in its current form is a combination of several local festivals, the oldest of which is the Daijayama Festival thought to have originated sometime between 1640 and 1791. This festival is known for its floats of sea serpents, said to be the symbol of the water god. In later years it was combined with the elements of a Gion festival conducted for the gods of agriculture and as protection against illness. The big attraction is the sea serpents, however. Each of the six floats is six meters high, 10 meters long, and they require the efforts of 200-300 people to pull through the city. The first part of the festival presents townspeople performing bon odori, the traditional summer festival dances, but the highlight comes after it gets dark. The floats are assembled in one location after their parade through the city. The float carriers start shaking them wildly, and then the serpents’ mouths open to emit multicolored fireworks and smoke. Legend has it that any children bitten by a serpent’s tooth will be guaranteed a healthy, accident-free year. Years ago, the floats were torn apart at the end of the festival and there was a mad scramble for the serpents’ eyeballs, said to bring good luck. (The Japanese traditionally didn’t mess around during these activities; people used to get killed.) Nowadays, however, a smaller ceremony for getting the eyeballs is held only for children. The floats themselves are still destroyed, and the eyeballs are offered to the divinities at the local shrine. People hang scraps from the destroyed floats on the eaves of their homes to ward off illness and protect the household for the coming year.
This year’s Daijayama Festival in Omuta will be held on July 25th and 26th. The opening ceremony begins on on Saturday at about 17:00 at Shinsakaemachi. The course this year is the same as it was last. There are teams of women dancing from in the late afternoon along with the floats being pulled around by the men in a long loop. Along the course there are also plenty of food, drink, and toy stalls for refreshments (festival pricing!). I would highly recommend taking Nishitetsu train to either Shinsakaemachi or Omuta station and then walking the block over to the main course way. Up until about night is a good time to bring the whole family along, but after it gets dark and the daijayama start with the fireworks, things can get pretty crowded and noisy. This is always a fun event and I hope to see you there!
Transfers are July 22nd and this festival is on the street that Elder Chandler lives on. He will at least be able to see the fireworks on the 18th. His last email said that he is 98% sure he will transfer, but you never know where Elder Cole will end up. I am sure this will keep the Missionaries up all night.
Here is a small clip of the festival.
