Sunday, September 13, 2015

Weekend Highlight: Shinugu (シヌグ) Festival in the Village of Oku

gif, men, parade, riyual,drums, flags, barefoot

Two Years of Plotting and Planning

 

 

This is another one of those, not widely advertised rituals that I have been itching to see.

It only takes place in this northern location, once every other year.

Researching the event two years ago, we learned, it had just been held, weeks earlier.

The crowd, seen in the above photo, is heading to a sacred site.

The procession is moving along a secluded street, to the beat of drums.

They are carrying a wooden tub, containing an elderly man from the village.

A bit of the martial arts, keeps evildoers and bad spirits, at bay.

Plenty of good spirits have been consumed, leading up to this part of the event.

And, many more spirits will be utilized throughout the remainder of festivities.

 Depending on which source you believe, there are a few versions of what is being chanted.

"Ii kui kui, Been kui kui and, Hi kui kui" are some of the interpretations, I have gotten.

That's followed by "Ya-sa-sa or, Eiyaa-saa."

The rituals are held at the end of the harvest season.

Dances, prayers and chants are offered in the hope they will provide future prosperous times.


See and hear some of the Shinugu Matsuri of Oku Village in this Video:





Read more about the festival at the Ryukyu Shimpo

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