The Naked Man Festival
TravelPodder Kateinjapan has just posted a HILARIOUS video about the Naked Man Festival in Okayama, Japan. Here’s an excerpt of what she writes in her most recent post:
“The festival is held in the evening at a temple in the city of Okayama, in Okayama prefecture. Eyo is a 14-day New Year ritual during which monks of the Shingon sect pray for a year of bountiful harvest and good fortune. On the 14th day, amulets (an object that protects a person from trouble) said to guarantee a good year were presented to the elders representing the people. But an increasing amount of believers began to gather for these amulets. People fought until their clothes tore off!! Thus the paper amulets were replaced by wooden sticks which were tossed into the crowd. Good fortune is bestowed to those who catch these sticks.
By the end of the 19th century, the event had evolved into the current style, being held naked (not completely but rather in a ‘thong’ that looks similar to that worn by sumo wrestlers). Recently, the festival has been attracting over 10,000 naked men who thrust themselves into the crowd upon the release of these wooden charms at midnight. Despite the chilling temperature, the intense fight produces steam that casts a mysterious spell on this winter event.”
Watch the writhing half-naked men, then chat about it in the forums.
See you there!
Louise Brown
TravelPod Community Manager
April 23, 2008 at 1:00 pm
[...] what you see? Subscribe to the full RSS feed.A bizarre ancient festival in the city of Okayama brings together lucky amulets, wooden sticks and men in white diapers, like [...]