Hounen Matsuri: Japanese Phallus Festival
Guess what time of year it is? If you said, "The Ides of March" then you would be wrong. What's far more important is that it's time for the Japanese Phallus, um or "fertility" Festival! Every year on March 15 a huge two and a half meter wooden phallus is carried the short distance between two shrines attracting visitors from all over Japan and international media attention.
Each year, a new giant wooden phallus is carved from a large hinoki (cypress) tree. In Japan newly made objects are thought to express more purity and vitality. The tree is brought to the shrine for purification rituals during the coldest part of the winter, before a master craftsman begins to shape it. The craftsman uses only traditional tools and wears clothing that has also been purified through rituals at the shrine. It is this phallus that will be the central focus of the procession, and then be placed into the Shinmeisha shrine as the principal phallus after the festival.
Check out this video of last year's Hounen Matsuri, my favorite part is when the woman starts caressing the penis and giggles:
Comments
Seriously, look how effin' happy those people look! We need a phallus festival, too! Can you imagine that procession going down 5th Ave. in NY? It would be SO awesome!
Posted by: Claudia | March 21, 2008 05:18 PM
New Yorkers pretend they're liberated - I don't think they could handle it.
Posted by: Rachel | March 23, 2008 04:30 AM