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This is an overview of festivals and observances held as part of the practice of Ryukyuan religion or tradition on the Ryukyu Islands. Unless otherwise noted, dates are according to the lunar calendar. The categories below ("January - May" and "June - December") are artificial, created for ease of article navigation. For calendars of rites particular to Miyako-jima, Yaeyama, and Ishigaki, see their respective pages. Viewing of or participation in rituals may be forbidden to outsiders, especially in rural areas which tend to be skeptical of the spiritual influence/significance of a stranger's presence. For example, Panari Island's ''Akamarakuromata'' Harvest Festival is open only to Panari people; no media or non-Panari are allowed.() ==January - May observances== *31 December (solar calendar): ''Tushinuyuru'' (New Year's Eve). Amid celebration, garlic is used in different ways (according to local tradition) to banish and keep away evil spirits. ''Wakamiji'', the year's first drawn water, is set out as an offering to ancestors. *1 January (solar calendar): ''Sougwachi'', (Jp. ''Shogatsu''; New Year's Day). Local religious leaders hold first rites of the New Year. Heads of household or first sons visit relatives and the elderly to present gifts. In the homes of senior citizens, a cup of ''awamori'' is enjoyed for good luck; in some places, slices of dried squid and salt are eaten. When visiting the heads of one's family, incense is offered to ancestors. Male members traditionally make these visits; however, these days wives and children may go along as well. Most people also visit a Shinto shrine (''jinja'') around this time of year to make a New Year's wish and draw a New Year's fortune (''omikuji'') to find out about their luck in the coming year; other common Japanese New Year traditions are upheld. *4 January: Hinukan ''mukee''. The hinukan goes away from the kitchen and back to his own home from December 24 to 3 January. Matrons burn incense and make offerings (awamori, rice) at the kitchen hearth to welcome him home. Especially popular on the main island. *16 January: ''Juuruku Nichi'' (Ancestors at the New Year). One of many holidays on which extend families gather at their tomb to make offerings (flowers, incense, awamori, food) and prayers, as well as to have a picnic and commune in the presence of their ancestors. *Early February: ''Shimakusarashi'' (Purification of the Village). Especially popular in southern Okinawa. A cow is slaughtered, and its various parts used to ritually cleanse the community. The cow's blood is smeared with leaves onto walls and gates. Then the heart is boiled and presented at an utaki, ancient tombs, or the house of an especially old or powerful family. A rope, particularly a straw rope, is hung over paths at the edge of town to mark the reaches of the community's sanctuary and keep out evil influences. Bones of the cow are then tied to the string and the cow's meat is given out for communal consumption. *3 March (solar calendar): ''Hamauri'' (Purification at the Beach). A holiday for girls and women, they often walk along the beach, and families collect shells. This is based upon the belief that walking on white sand is purifying. Some also believe that bad omens can be ignored if one walks beside the sea. Mugwort and rice cakes are eaten on this day. *Early April (solar calendar): ''Shiimii'' (Chin. ''Qing-Ming''). Another Ryukyuan visitation of the ancestors' at the family tomb. Held at this time to appropriately begin spring and the year's agricultural work. Also celebrated is ''kami-ushiimii'', when family heads of a widely-extended family all gather to commune with their common ancestors. *14 April: ''Abushibarei'' (Ritual to Ward Off Pests). Grass is cut along the edges of fields; rats and insects are caught, put aboard small boats, and ritually set out to sea. *Late April/Early May: ''Yamadumi'' (Taboo Against Loud Noise). Between April and May, it was forbidden to make loud noises (thus cut down trees). People believed the noise would cause wind that would destroy the crops; while the noise wouldn't cause the wind, the cutting down of trees would have destroyed natural windbreaks that truly did keep the crops safe. *May 4: ''Yukka Nu Hii'', ''Haarii''/''Haarei'' Races (Dragon Boat Races). Teams of local men race dragon-shaped boats amid rituals of tribute to sea gods. Boat races in connection with prayers to ensure good fishing have been staged since the 14th century, and today's races arose from the mixing of two traditions: the fishermen's races on the sea and the dragon boat ceremonies performed on rivers and lakes in China. Traditionally the races are held on the fourth day of the fifth lunar month, but in Naha they are now staged on May 4 (solar calendar), to match the tourist season of "Golden Week". The largest races are in Naha, Itoman, and Tamagusuku; similar races are also held on any of the islands where people from Okinawa Island have settled (Yonaguni, Ishigaki, etc.). () () 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ryukyuan festivals and observances」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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