HÅnen Matsuri
Honen Matsuri (Japanese豊 年 祭, honing means " rich harvest year," Matsuri is a festival or holiday ) is a fertility festival which is celebrated every year on the Sunday before 15 March in some parts of Japan. One of the two most famous festivals held in the city north of Nagoya Komaki at Tagata Shrine ( Tagata -jinja ). The other Honen- matsuri, also Hime -no- miya -matsuri (姫 の 宮 祭り) or Hime -no- miya Honen- matsuri is called, on Sunday before 15 March at Oagata Shrine in Inuyama, also in the Aichi Prefecture celebrated. The festival and ceremony celebrate the blessings associated a rich harvest and prosperity and fertility in general.
Honen- matsuri at Tagata Shrine
At the festival Shinto priests playing on traditional instruments. There will be a procession of traditionally dressed participants. Sake as much as you can drink and a 280 kg heavier, 2.5 m long wooden phallus are also included. This is carried down from a holding on a large hill shrine called Shinmei -sha to another shrine, Tagata -jinja.
The festival begins at 10 clock at the Tagata -jinja with treats to prepare for the procession. There are all kinds of food and souvenirs ( largely phallus -shaped or so standing in conjunction ) sold. Sake - because of origin of rice a symbol of the harvest - is served plenty of large wooden barrels. To about 2 clock in the afternoon then one gathers on Shinmei -sha for the start of the procession. Shinto priests say prayers and bless the participants and mikoshi, which are carried along with the procession, as well as the large wooden phallus.
The ensuing procession led by priests, followed by the masked Tengu goblin, closely followed by the musicians Gagaku music playing. After this follows a number of 36 years old women who wear 60 cm long phalluses. Then followed by a carriage, from which further Sake is distributed to the crowd. Then, finally, the mikoshi with the large phallus. This is supported only on 42 -year-old men in white clothing. After a mikoshi comes with a doll of God Takeinadane -no- mikoto.
During the procession on their way down to the Tagata -jinja is, the phallus is pivoted into its mikoshi back and forth, then discontinued and it will be spoken more prayers. We then gathered in the square in front of the shrine, waiting for the mochi nage, in which the amount of helpers from elevated platforms with small rice cakes ( mochi) is showered. The festival ends at about 16:30 clock.