Prayer Before a Festive Occasion in the Ryukyu Islands

At the Juri Uma Parade

 

 

Prior to the dances on stage and in the streets a few rituals take place.

The women in white robes are priestesses.

Running ahead with a camera, to get in position, I may have missed some events.

This scene shows those approaching a site for prayer and offerings.

It was the 5th or 6th spot visited along the way.

There were brief visits made to a priestess' home, a  well and other sacred sites.

One of the reasons, I visit days or, weeks before an event is to be recognized by the locals.

It makes, everyone feel more comfortable and, I am not a stranger to them.

Much of Okinawa's recorded history was destroyed in the past.

And, it makes researching some events extremely difficult.

For those interested in Okinawan religion here's a link, in English.

Over 100 pages are included in this PDF about the Tsuji fire in the last Century.

Tsuji, is the district in Naha, where this annual event takes place.

More About the Juri Uma Parade

Painted Snipe: 10 Facts and Photos

These birds, known as Greater Painted Snipe, live in Africa, Asia and India.

The female is more of a reddish color than the male.

Males are pale and, brown, tan or, golden, in color.

These birds are not related to those, commonly called, Snipes.

The Latin name for this species is Rostratula benghalensis.

The birds have a white (female) or, tan (male) eye patch.

Females court the males and, may have more than one mate.

Males hatch the eggs and rear the offspring.

The bird prefers grassy habitats along marshes, streams or, ponds.

They are extremely shy and, vanish into the vegetation when disturbed.

References:

ARKive

Birdguides

 Red Orbit

Brilliant Colors and Dancing with Horses

Motion GIFs from Juri-uma Parade

 

 

This event takes place in Naha, Okinawa January 20th by the Lunar Calendar.

That happened to be today so, we went to the big city with cameras.

There were all sorts of costumes and dances but, these were my favorites.

A few hundred more images will be looked at some other day.

Tsuji was an entertainment district in Naha years ago.

And, the gals  (courtesans) working there,  were the Juri.

Supposedly, this parade was held annually so families could get to see their daughters.

Learn more about the event by checking a previous entry:

Have You Ever Heard of the Parade of the Prostitutes ? 

Bird Image: Greater Painted Snipe Female

This colorful little bird was spotted in the marshlands of Kin Town.

Nowhere near being a bird expert, I had to look this one up.

If it would have had a gold eye patch rather than white, it would be a male.

This is one of the rare cases, where the female (bird) is larger and brighter than the male.

The scientific name for this specimen is Rostratula benghalensis.

More about this bird may be seen at ARKive.

Size of a Crow Compared to an Osprey -- Both in Flight

A Sense of Scale

 

 

It isn't often, you see these two birds posing together with their wings spread.

They were flying over a dam when this shot was taken.

For further reference, I researched the wingspans of these birds.

The  Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) has a greater wingspan.

According to National Geographic: 5-6 ft or, 1.5-1.8 meters.

The Crow (genus Corvus) has a wingspan of 39 inches or, 1 meter.

That's from the good folks at Britannica.

Crows May Be Confused with Ravens

 

 

 

 

 

For those who like to know everything about birds, I did some digging.

People sometimes argue, make bets or, just discuss ravens and crows.

If you get some of these birds in your yard and want to identify them, try this.

Visit Crow vs Raven 

Read about the birds, look at images, watch videos and, listen to the sounds they make.

Then, you will be an expert at, winning bets over crows and ravens.

That black bird flying below the Osprey is a Crow.

Wanna bet ?