Autumn Festival (aki matsuri)

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Autumn Festival (aki matsuri)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: All Autumn
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

Aki Matsuri, Autumn Festivals 　秋祭り　to thank the gods for a good harvest and pray for the wellbeing of each family in the community. They are celebrated all over Japan after the rice harvest. Preparations take weeks and are a means to get the young men and women of the village together to practise the dances and tunes.

Today, on the second weekend of October, is the Autumn Festival at our local shrine, I just come back from the simple but really endearing festivities.
The local gods are transferred to small portable shrines (mikoshi), put in front of the shrine and groups of 3 men perform a lions dance in front of them. The kindergarden children this year also wearing colorful costumes and danced with their paper lion mask.

This is our lion



Look at more details here
Autumn Festival in Sakai 2005

Then all take the protable shrines about 500 meters to a clearance in the forest, where more ricewine for the elders and more dance for the gods is performed.
With loud shouting they walk back to the shrine, another final dance and that was it.

And on the following links, you find some very similar festival, since after all, most mountain communities in Okayama are the same.

Here are some lovely pictures of such a small village autumn festival.
http://www.e-village.jp/earth-c/html/9910oct/html/000050.html
http://www.e-village.jp/earth-c/html/9910oct/html/000052.html

Here is some kind of Lion Dance in Takebe, the village next to mine.


http://www.e-village.jp/earth-c/html/9910oct/html/000080.html

Gabi Greve

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Here is a great link with haiku and pictures about many Autumn festivals in Japan.


Copyright (C) 2000-2004 Yoshio Wada.

http://wadaphoto.jp/haiku.htm

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

Village Children
Just for the fun of it, children harvesting rice by hand. The same sceene is also here in my village.
http://www.e-village.jp/earth-c/html/9910oct/html/000079.html

This is a site with many Japanese topics, made by children, but in English, so you might enjoy to see more.
http://www.e-village.jp/earth-c/html/9910oct/html/

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HAIKU

yamasato ni kodomo no egao aki matsuri

.. .. .. in the mountain village
.. .. .. all children laughing -
.. .. .. autumn festival

Gabi Greve, Okayama Japan
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/happyhaiku/message/625

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町沸かす 子供みこしや 秋祭り　　望月琉巳子
machi wakasu kodomo-mikoshi ya aki matsuri

the whole village in uproar -
the children's portable shrine !
autumn festival
(Tr. Gabi Greve)

Mochizuki san

There are more Japanese haiku on this link.
http://www2.tokai.or.jp/hikarino-ie/hp/satonomiti/h14.htm

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autumn festival -
a streak of sunshine
on the priest



Gabi Greve, Japan, 2007

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Related words

***** Oktoberfest (Germany)

***** Harvest Thanksgiving (Europe) Harvest Festival, Erntedankfest


Saijiki of Japanese Ceremonies and Festivals


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