August 7, 2011 Eisa matsuri (Pentax)

August 7, 2011 Eisa matsuri (Pentax), a set on Flickr, and a juggling back and forth of the Pentax between the two of us.

Eisa matsuri is one of the oldest in Japan. During the summer, a number of "Eisa-dance" performances can be seen at many festivals around the island.

Eisa dance, or simply “Eisa” for local residents, was originally performed as part of a prayer for the spirits of the ancestors. In Okinawa, as well as on mainland Japan, it is believed the spirits of ancestors come back home during Obon, a day on which memorial services are held. Eisa originally started as a dance to escort the ancestors' spirits back to their resting place on the last day of Obon.

We arranged our trip this year so we could go and see the Eisa dance in Naha on August 7, 2011. This is a pre-obon event, which takes place after the mainland Japan obon in mid-August, one of the three big holiday times, after the new year and Golden Week.  The streets were lined with people to watch the parade-like procession of nearly 20 different dance groups of various ages from young kids to adults. The music was lively and fun.

See the youtube videos for an idea of the vibrancy their performance.

Lest I forget the after Eisa break back in our hotel room with a nice, cool Kirin Free. Yeah!