Akutai Matsuri, the Japanese swear by it

Date: 2007 January 02 15:59

Posted by Joe

The Japanese are famed for being polite, however everyone needs to vent now and again. The Mainichi Daily News are currently running a story about the Akutai Matsuri, held in late November in the city of Kasama. The festival has a chief priest and 13 tengu goblins dressed in white parading along a steep path, chanting and making offerings at small shrines along the way.

Apparently on-lookers scream out obscenities and try to snatch the offerings. The priest and goblins are prepared and parry away anyone with green bamboo staffs. Eventually the religious parade are overwhelmed and the onlookers snatch away their offerings. Snatching one of the offerings is said to grant the bearer the power of the tengu's spirit, which is why they are so desirable.

Oddly enough in recent years more English speakers have been taking part in the festival, with popular English obscenities creeping into the traditional Japanese taunts.