At Mamada Hachimangu

in Oyama, photos taken during Ja Matsuri.

I especially liked these:

And the twin snakes:

The weather was gorgeous and the shrine looked lovely:

Ja Matsuri - snake festival

As every year, on May 5th at Mamada Hachimangu in Oyama.

The snakes arrive at the shrine.

Waiting time before the ritual ceremonies.

Time to give the snake a drink!

And take it for a walk in the shrine pond.

And this is what it looked like in action:

Matsugamine catholic church

Supposedly the largest building in the world made entirely out of oya stone.

And inside:

The altar:

And outside:

Setsubun 2013

Last Sunday (February 3rd) we celebrated Setsubun.
We went to Futaara shrine in Utsunomiya to see the main event:

Priests ready for ritual ceremonies.

Definitely not made for walking.

A very unhappy looking shrine maiden.

Ritual ceremonies finished, now it's time to have fun!

Yes, they throw snacks, toilet paper, tissue packs and other small items into the anticipating crowd.

And the crowd tries to catch!

And when it's over, it's time to go home. Better luck next year!

I also shot some video, but it's not edited yet.

I'll post it when it's ready.

Susuki grass

The symbol of autumn

Lanterns

at Futaara shrine in Chuzenji

Preparing goshuin

at Zuihoji temple in Kanuma:

Goshuin is a piece of paper with a stamp and calligraphy that you can buy at a shrine or temple.


Here is a short video of one being made: