Ryukyu Mura 2

In this continuation we have the Juri (Okinawan geisha) parade where they 'ride' wooden horses. This is a January festival.
Here we see the Eisa drummers who always seem to be led in their dance by this funny looking guy... he has his own dance called Chondara but I don't know what its for, he whistles really well. The Eisa is performed for ancestor's souls on Lunar Bon holidays, they have a competition each year for people to show their families' version of the Bon dance, for the most part it is waving your arms in the air to the beat.
Here is the Mamidoma dance which is comprised of folk doing harvesting motions.

At the end of the parade they have everyone join in the dance circle, this little old lady walks around with a big bottle of sake on her head asking people to join in... I don't know what the signifigance is in the sake... yes its full.

I realize that I never completed the first posting about this, I'll go fix it now.

Happy Easter!

We held our spring/easter party today, and Coryn got to meet a puppy, color eggs, hunt for eggs, and smash eggs together!

Ryukyu Mura

One of the places we've been to thus far is a place called Ryukyu Mura or 'village of the Ryukyu's (the collection of islands down here)'. It is a small cultural 'theme park' of sorts with a parade held twice daily showcasing some of the traditional dances, festivals, and songs. This dance called Yotsutake was used to welcome officials and royalty. The flower hat is very recognizable as Okinawan and some buildings feature it as the roof.
Here the 'king and queen' are welcomed to watch the festival.
There are two festivals featured in this picture, the guy with the mask is the Miruku parade. He is the Bodhisattva of happiness, rich harvests, and prosperity. It takes place on the 16th of July and he fans the audience as he passes, blessing the crowd. In the background you can see a guy pulling a handcart... it has a lady who is 97+ years old, it is a celebration of Kajimayah passage. On Sept 7th they decorate pinwheels for those turning 97, it is the age at which one is old enough to be a child soul again.

This is the Shishi or shisa liondog and has his own dance and show. the guy in the background is his master. Shishi is the protector and is found on most rooftops/gateposts/or somewhere on the grounds. It used to only be one, but somewhere along the way they decided to have a male and female, one with open one with closed mouth, warding off danger and keeping the happiness in. Most of the versions you see aren't quite so vividly colored.