The remarkable Aoi Festival is a unique event conducted in the Japanese city of Kyoto. This event which falls on the 15th of May is counted amongst the three biggest festivals in this city. The festival is centred on the Kamigamo and Shimogamo shrines, both of which are involved in the activities of the festival. Officially called the Kamo Festival this distinctive event originated in the middle of the 6th century.
The ruler of the time Emperor Kinmei decreed that a ceremonial celebration be held so as to placate the gods and thereby end a disastrous famine. The objective of the festival was achieved and since then this celebration has been conducted each year, becoming especially popular amongst the wider public during the Edo era.
The showpiece of the festival is the extensive and elaborate procession which leaves the city’s Imperial Palace and winds its way to Shimogamo shrine and finally to Kamigamo shrine. The visitor will observe that the festival includes two sections, the Roto and Shato rituals.
The event is always a delight to watch, as the observer will see an array of people attired in formal costumes of the Heian era parading through the streets of the city. This distinctive procession features over 500 individuals, four oxen, two oxcarts and 35 horses. Many Japanese as well as foreign visitors take the opportunity to witness this distinctive event.
‘Aoi’ refers to the unmistakable leaves of hollyhock which are used to adorn almost everything in the pageant, from the people and carts to the various animals. You will also see huge flower bouquets and a host of kimono-clad women accompanying the official ‘Saio’. This was the title given to the high priestess representing the shrines, who in earlier times was a young woman of the imperial clan. Today however a different single woman is selected for this position each year, from the city of Kyoto. However this woman even today must undertake purification rituals prior to the event.
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Jayani Senanayake is a writer who dabbles in travel and all things exotic. Under the pseudonym of Caliope Sage, she writes of the allures that must simply be discovered.