Last weekend Mewby and I visited some of the Tanabata festival events now ongoing along the Horikawa and the Kamogawa rivers. Tanabata is the annual star festival celebrating "the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by the stars Vega and Altair respectively)" (see more on Wikipedia!). The festival is celebrated on July 7th according to the modern calendar, … [Read more...] about Kyoto Tanabata Festival
Festivals
Kasagake at Kamigamo on October 16th
John Dougill writes, There were traditionally three styles of horseback archery carried out for the entertainment of the kami. The most well-known is Yabusame, in which galloping riders shoot at a fixed target. Much rarer is Kasagake, to be performed this Sunday at Kamigamo Jinja. The other style involved firing at live dogs: thank goodness, it's no longer … [Read more...] about Kasagake at Kamigamo on October 16th
Mitarashi Matsuri
Shimogamo Jinja July 21-24, from 5.30-22.30 John Dougill writes, Hot, hot and humid! At this time of year you may feel all you want to do is wade through cold water. Well, that’s just what you get to do in the Mitarashi Festival at Shimogamo Shrine. Considering that it promises a disease-free year, particularly for your legs, then it’s easy to understand why the … [Read more...] about Mitarashi Matsuri
Gion Festival
Tourists who came from afar were apt to think that the Gion Festival consisted of only the parade of floats on the seventeenth of July. Many also came to Hiezan on the night of the sixteenth. But the real ceremonies of Gion Festival continued all through July. In the various districts in Kyoto, each of which had its own Gion float, the festival bands began to perform and the … [Read more...] about Gion Festival
