This is an overview of
festival
A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...
s and observances found in the
Okinawa Islands
The Okinawa Islands ( or ) are an island group in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan and are the principal island group of the prefecture. The Okinawa Islands are part of the larger Ryukyu Islands group and are located between the Amami Islands of Ka ...
,
Okinawa Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city o ...
of southwestern
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. The Okinawan culture is noted for extreme diversity. The following list is based on south-central Okinawa, and may not be applied to northern Okinawa.
Miyako and
Yaeyama hold substantially different festivals and observances.
Unless otherwise noted, dates are according to the traditional
lunisolar calendar
A lunisolar calendar is a calendar in many cultures, combining lunar calendars and solar calendars. The date of Lunisolar calendars therefore indicates both the Moon phase and the time of the solar year, that is the position of the Sun in the Ea ...
. The categories below ("January - May" and "June - December") are artificial, created for ease of article navigation.
January - May observances
*31 December (solar calendar): ''Tusinuyuru'' (New Year's Eve). Amid celebration, garlic is used in different ways (according to local tradition) to banish and keep away evil spirits. ''
'Wakamizi'', the year's first drawn water, is set out as an offering to ancestors.
*1 January (solar calendar): ''Sjoogwachi'', (Standard Japanese: ''Shōgatsu''; New Year's Day). Local religious leaders hold first rites of the New Year. Heads of household or first sons visit relatives and the elderly to present gifts. In the homes of senior citizens, a cup of ''
awamori
''Awamori'' (, Okinawan: , āmui'') is an alcoholic beverage indigenous and unique to Okinawa, Japan. It is made from long grain indica rice, and is not a direct product of brewing (like ''sake'') but of distillation (like ''shōchū''). The ...
'' is enjoyed for good luck; in some places, slices of dried squid and salt are eaten. When visiting the heads of one's family, incense is offered to ancestors. Male members traditionally make these visits; however, these days wives and children may go along as well. Most people also visit a Shinto
shrine (''jinja'') around this time of year to make a New Year's wish and draw a New Year's fortune (''
omikuji
are random fortunes written on strips of paper at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan. Literally "sacred lot", these are usually received by making a small offering and randomly choosing one from a box, hoping for the resulting fort ...
'') to find out about their luck in the coming year; other common Japanese New Year traditions are upheld.
*4 January: Hwinukan ''mukee''. The hwinukan goes away from the kitchen and back to his own home from December 24 to 3 January. Matrons burn incense and make offerings (awamori, rice) at the kitchen hearth to welcome him home. Especially popular on the main island.
*16 January: ''Zuuruku Nichi'' (Ancestors at the New Year). One of many holidays on which extend families gather at their tomb to make offerings (flowers, incense, awamori, food) and prayers, as well as to have a picnic and commune in the presence of their ancestors.
*Early February: ''Simakusarasi'' (Purification of the Village). Especially popular in southern Okinawa. A cow is slaughtered, and its various parts used to ritually cleanse the community. The cow's blood is smeared with leaves onto walls and gates. Then the heart is boiled and presented at an utaki, ancient tombs, or the house of an especially old or powerful family. A rope, particularly a straw rope, is hung over paths at the edge of town to mark the reaches of the community's sanctuary and keep out evil influences. Bones of the cow are then tied to the string and the cow's meat is given out for communal consumption.
*3 March (solar calendar): ''Hamaʔuri'' (Purification at the Beach). A holiday for girls and women, they often walk along the beach, and families collect shells. This is based upon the belief that walking on white sand is purifying. Some also believe that bad omens can be ignored if one walks beside the sea. Mugwort and rice cakes are eaten on this day.
*Early April (solar calendar): ''Siimii'' (Chin. ''Qing-Ming''). Another Okinawan visitation of the ancestors' at the family tomb. Held at this time to appropriately begin spring and the year's agricultural work. Also celebrated is ''kami-usiimii'', when family heads of a widely extended family all gather to commune with their common ancestors.
*14 April: ''ʔabusibaree'' (Ritual to Ward Off Pests). Grass is cut along the edges of fields; rats and insects are caught, put aboard small boats, and ritually set out to sea.
*Late April/Early May: ''Jamadumi'' (Taboo Against Loud Noise). Between April and May, it was forbidden to make loud noises (thus cut down trees). People believed the noise would cause wind that would destroy the crops; while the noise wouldn't cause the wind, the cutting down of trees would have destroyed natural windbreaks that truly did keep the crops safe.
*May 4: ''
Jukkanuhwii'', ''Haarii''/''Haarei'' Races (
Dragon Boat
A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft originating from the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. These were made of teak, but in other parts of China, different kinds of wood are used. It is one of a family of t ...
Races). Teams of local men race dragon-shaped boats amid rituals of tribute to sea gods. Boat races in connection with prayers to ensure good fishing have been staged since the 14th century, and today's races arose from the mixing of two traditions: the fishermen's races on the sea and the dragon boat ceremonies performed on rivers and lakes in China. Traditionally the races are held on the fourth day of the fifth lunar month, but in Naha they are now staged on May 4 (solar calendar), to match the tourist season of "Golden Week". The largest races are in Naha, Itoman, and Tamagusuku; similar races are also held on any of the islands where people from Okinawa Island have settled (Yonaguni, Ishigaki, etc.)
June - December observances
*June: ''Umachii''/''Sichuma''/''Sikjoma''/''Awa Sichuma'' (Harvest Festivals/Millet Festivals). Families pray together giving thanks for a good harvest and seeking future prosperity.
*June 25: ''Kasichii'' (Rice Offering to Ancestors). Rice steamed with red beans and offered to ancestors as thanks for a good harvest. Also may be celebrated in August.
*July: ''Sichigwachi'' Sichigwachi, or "Seventh Month", is the
Ghost Festival, Ghost Month marked with a midmonth
veneration of the dead
The veneration of the dead, including one's ancestors, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures, it is related to beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of t ...
(v.s.). Marital rites and other celebrations are taboo during lunar July due to its rituals involving the presence of the dead.
*July: ''Sinugu'' ("for men and brothers"). Somewhat similar to Miyako-jima's ''
Pāntu'' rite. At Ada near Kunigami Village in the northern part of Okinawa, males climb up into the mountains and pray to the mountain gods for prosperity and a good harvest. They also face the direction of the sea and call upon the sea gods for the same. Then they ritually assume the godforms of mountain deities by covering themselves with leaves and crowning themselves with red flowers. They carry branches down into the community and together purify it by waving the branches over its borders and its fields. In a rite called ''sakankei'', the men receive ritual libations as offerings to the gods whose forms they have assumed.
*July: ''ʔunjami''/''ʔungami''. At Shioya Bay,
Ogimi Village in the northern part of Okinawa, priestesses invoke the gods of the sea for prosperity and good fishing. Some priestesses call to the gods from a place in a boat out on the water, and then assume the forms of the gods, much as the men of Kunigami assume the form of the mountain gods during Sinugu (v.s.). They return to the shore, greeted by other priestesses and hosted in a ritual tent. They make blessings and receive libation offerings, then visit area villages. Finally, the gods are seen off by local people who gather on the beach.
*July 7: ''
Tanabata
, also known as the Star Festival ( 星祭り, ''Hoshimatsuri''), is a Japanese festival originating from the Chinese Qixi Festival. It celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by the stars Vega and Altair res ...
''. Wishes are written on strips of paper and hung from
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...
trees. Families also visit graves with offerings to invite ancestors to the following week's Obon. (Ooshiro 17)
*July 13–15 or 16:
Obon
or just is fusion of the ancient Japanese belief in ancestral spirits and a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist–Confucian custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people retu ...
Festival featuring ''
Eisā dancing''. During Obon, ancestors are believed to gather ''en masse'' with their living relatives. Prayers and offerings such as incense, food, alcohol, and flowers are all made three times a day. Like Siimii and New Year's Eve (v.s.), Obon is a significant holiday in the ancestors worship, and the attendance of members of extended families is almost required. The first day of Obon is called ''ʔunkee''. The family altar and memorial tablets cleaned and decked with incense, fruit, and sugarcane (''uuzi'') offerings. A simple offering of rice, beans, and water (''minnukuu'') is prepared for spirits who receive no regular attention and accompany ancestors into the home. Often offerings may spill over onto low tables set up in front of the buchidan. On the offerings may be placed a ''sangwaa''. The family gate (''zoo'') is then lit with pine torch, candles, or incense. The second day (''nakanuhwii'') is rather uneventful. At close to midnight on the third day (''ʔuukui''), people have a farewell gathering for their ancestors. A large meal with the best food is presented. Then incense and paper money called ''ʔuchikabi'' (representing money for the world of the dead, like Chinese
Joss paper
Joss paper, also known as incense papers, are papercrafts or sheets of paper made into burnt offerings common in Chinese ancestral worship (such as the veneration of the deceased family members and relatives on holidays and special occasions). Wo ...
or
Hell Bank Notes
Hell banknotes in Thailand resembling United States Dollar, and Thai Baht banknotes">Thai_Baht.html" ;"title="United States Dollar, and Thai Baht">United States Dollar, and Thai Baht banknotes
Hell money () is a modernized form of joss paper p ...
) is burned. All remaining offerings are gathered and set outdoors, and ancestors are sent away. Eisā dancing traditionally ends Obon, the drums sending the ancestors away with respect and blessings. (Ooshiro 17-18)
*August: ''Shishimai'' Dances ("
Lion Dances F
Lion dance () is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture and other Asian countries in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume to bring good luck and fortune. The lion dance is usually performed during the Chinese New Y ...
") at harvest festivals. At various midmonth festivals around the Okinawa Islands, shishimai dances are performed to consecrate the festival ground and open the festival. A wooden lion mask and wooly-looking costume of woven and dyed banana/choma strips is worn, and the dance is performed to loud music featuring gongs, drums, bells, flutes, sanshin, and various other instruments. Some lion dances feature two or more dancers as the lion.
*August: Tugs-of-War. Midmonth August festivals often feature a communal tug-of-war using a giant fiber rope that can often take days to weave. The rope in Naha is over 200m long and weighs more than 40 metric tons
A similar tug-of-war takes place in
Uiryeong County, Korea*9 August - 15 August: ''Too Udui'' Dance
Tsuken Island Katsuren, Okinawa, Katsuren). A men's circle dance of Chinese origin performed in traditional summer dress to the accompaniment of small hand-held drums.
*10 August: Beginning of Yabu Dance Festival (near
Nago
''Nagu'', Kunigami: ''Naguu'' is a city located in the northern part of Okinawa Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. As of December 2012, the city has an estimated population of 61,659 and a population density of 288 persons per km2. Its tota ...
). At this performance festival's roots are priestess prayers of thanks and hope concerning this year's harvest and that of the next. There are parades of dancers and various other folk performances, including formal ''Yotsudaki'' and ''Kumiodori'' dances. Similar dance festivals are held throughout Okinawa, notably on
Ie-shima
, previously romanized in English as Ie Shima, is an island in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, lying a few kilometers off the Motobu Peninsula on Okinawa Island. The island measures in circumference and covers . As of December 2012 the island ...
, who now celebrate after the harvest in November.
*13 August and 15 August (every five years): ''Ayachi'' Shishi
Marionette
A marionette (; french: marionnette, ) is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a marionettist. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or reveale ...
Performances at Jana (near
Nakijin
is a village located in Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.
As of 2003, the village has an estimated population of 9,529 and a population density of 239.00 persons per km2. The total area is 39.87 km2.
Education
The village o ...
). A stage show is held, at the end of which a pair of shishi marionettes, a male and a female, dance and play together accompanied by
sanshin
The is an Okinawan and Amami Islands musical instrument and precursor of the mainland Japanese (). Often likened to a banjo, it consists of a snakeskin-covered body, neck and three strings.
Origins
Its close resemblance in both appearance a ...
and drumming.
*15 August: ''Taa Faa Kuu'' Dance (in Iju in
Nakagusuku). A dance of Chinese origin, performed originally at Kume but brought to Nakagusuku for performance during harvest. It is energetic and features Chinese-style costumes and props.
*15 August: ''Masutoriya'' at
Ueno
is a district in Tokyo's Taitō Ward, best known as the home of Ueno Park. Ueno is also home to some of Tokyo's finest cultural sites, including the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, and the National Museum of Na ...
. A traditional staff dance accompanied by harvest prayer.
*September: ''Kami Ugami'' (prayer pilgrimages). During September, people visit various sacred sites to pay respects to famous ''kami''. Especially popular are areas around
Nakijin
is a village located in Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.
As of 2003, the village has an estimated population of 9,529 and a population density of 239.00 persons per km2. The total area is 39.87 km2.
Education
The village o ...
(
Nakijin gusuku
is a Ryukyuan ''gusuku'' located in Nakijin, Okinawa. It is currently in ruins. In the late 14th century, the island of Okinawa consisted of three principalities: Nanzan to the south, Chūzan in the central area, and Hokuzan in the north. Nakijin ...
) and
Shuri Castle
was a Ryukyuan ''gusuku'' castle in Shuri, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Between 1429 and 1879, it was the palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom, before becoming largely neglected. In 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, it was almost completely destroye ...
.
*13 November: ''Amidusi'' ("lowering the nets") fishing ritual on Kudaka. Priests and three priestesses pray and make offerings of alcohol and rice to sea gods in order to ensure good fishing. Seven temporary enclosures are built by the sea to provide shelter for the visiting gods.
*15 November: ''ʔizaihoo'' o
Kudaka Island No longer performed due to lack of women to take on priestess roles. Performed every twelve years during every Year of the Horse. A four-day, four-stage initiation ritual, ordaining all women of the island between 31 and 40 as priestesses (v.s.).
*8 December: ''Muuchii'' (Standard Japanese: ''
mochi
is a Japanese rice cake made of , a short-grain japonica glutinous rice, and sometimes other ingredients such as water, sugar, and cornstarch. The rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape. In Japan, it is traditionally ma ...
'') Offerings. Muuchii, or rice cakes wrapped in ''sannin'' leaves, are offered to signal the beginning of winter and pray for the health of the family. Where there are children, the muuchii are tied to strings and hung, the number of muuchii tied up being determined by the child's age. Where a child has been born that year, ''hachi muuchii'' is celebrated, when the parents visit their neighbors and family to give out muuchii.
References
The information in this article is drawn primarily fro
Festivals and Rituals of Okinawa a site run by the Okinawa Prefectural government.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okinawan Festivals And Observances
Festivals in Japan
Religious holidays
Religion in Japan
Festivals in Okinawa Prefecture
Lists of observances
Lists of festivals in Japan