Bonden-sai, January 17, Japan
Friday, January 17, 2014 at 1:53PM
A festival held in Japan in the Akita Prefecture where people carry Bonden (large bamboo markers and colorful baskets) to the foot of the mountain as markers to the gods for them to know where to come.
Teams of people will form, including children and work groups, to race to the place these markers so they might get a blessing for the upcoming year. These races can get very heated and and violent so much so that people will sometimes call this the “Bonden fight”.
The main deity that is referenced is Miyoshi Jinja, who is the god of power, which might also explain the violence that can happen.
Links: http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/spot/festival/bondensai.html
http://www.insidejapantours.com/japan-news/2947/bonden-sai-festival-gets-date/
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