For the first time, Japanese women are now allowed to take part in Japan's naked festival. This is quite a surprise since the Asian country is considered as one of the most conservative countries nations in the world.
In this picture taken on February 18, 2017, worshippers wait for the priest to throw the sacred batons during the annual Naked Man Festival or 'Hadaka Matsuri' at Saidaiji Temple in Okayama, western Japan.
The ancient ceremony called "hadaka matsuri" has been off-limits to ladies ever since it was held in the town of Inazawa—a town in central Japan—around 1,250 years ago.
But, starting on Feb. 22, hadaka matsuri organizers will start allowing around 40 Japanese women to join men who will participate in the traditional naked festival.
Japanese Women Permitted To Join Naked Festival For the First Time!
For those who are not familiar with the hadakuri matsuri festival, it is an ancient ceremony where thousands of men are dressed in next to nothing.
This is conducted every February each year at a Shinto shrine in Inazawa. But, to clarify things, women will not be dressed in revealing clothes, meaning they will not be part of the naked festival's momiai climax.
The momiai climax is the part when men are dressed only in fundoshi (a kind of traditional loincloth), tabi socks, and hachimaki bandanas.
Ladies in Japan will not clash with each other like the men, who will try to attempt to transfer their bad luck to a chosen guy by touching him before he is taken back to the safety of the Shinto shrine.
Instead, Japanese women will make ritual offerings of bamboo grass. This was thanks to Ayaka Suzuki, the woman who campaigned for the lift of the unofficial ban on the naked festival.
She said that when she was still a child, she had always wanted to be part of the hadaka matsuri festival.
"I could have participated had I been a boy," added Ayaka Suzuki via The Guardian.
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Fun Facts About Hadaka Matsuri
Teams of men in loincloths participate in the Hadaka Matsuri, or Naked Festival at Saidaiji Temple on February 15, 2014, in Okayama, Japan. In this one of the most vibrant festivals in Japan, some 9,000 men battle to grab a pair of lucky sticks thrown by priests.
The hadaka matsuri festival is definitely one of the things that tourists should look forward to if they will visit Japan in February.
If ever you plan to Japan in February, here are some fun facts about the Japanese naked festival that you need to know, which were provided by Japan Experience:
- Hadaka matsuri has existed for several centuries and has been held in numerous places across Japan.
- The naked festival is mostly about bringing good luck to men who can fight for a sacred object, which is blessed by a Shinto priest.
- Hadaka matsuri involves the shin-otoko, which is the divine man, who Japanese residents believe would drive evils away with him.
- These are just some of the interesting things you need to know about the Japanese naked festival. If you want to learn more, you can click this link.
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