Hanamatsuri

Hanamatsuri

Hanamatsuri meaning "flower festival",is a festival in spring when flowers flourish but the most famous reason for this day is to celebrate Sakyamuni Buddha's birthday on April 8th. It is also called Kanbutsue or Goutane. Altars are erected and decorated with flowers around a statue of baby Buddha. Amacha or Sweet Tea is poured on the Buddha's head.

The nature of the festival varies greatly from region to region, and often appears to have the characteristics of older spring festivals: driving out devils or praying for the coming harvest. It is not a public holiday

The nature of the festival varies greatly from region to region, and often appears to have the characteristics of older spring festivals: driving out devils or praying for the coming harvest. It is not a public holiday

Hanamatsuri is a day when many people show of arts, and skills. Events are held to demonstrate, martial arts, and onther crafts of Japan. Aichi has a famous festival, int he town of Toei. The highlight of the festival is, "The Oni no mai," dance of the demon. An Oni looks like a demon, but actually it is an embodiment of the god. Our ancestors believed that the god would appear as a demon to make their wishes come true.