What is wakakusa Yamayaki?

Wakakusa Yamayaki: literally meaning “Burning Mount Wakakusa”, this event held on the 4th Saturday of January every year is a traditional ceremony of ancient Nara that heralds the coming of early spring.

Where is Mount Wakakusa?

Nara
Mount Wakakusa (若草山, Wakakusa-yama), also known as Mount Mikasa (三笠山 Mikasa-yama), is a 342-metre-high (1,122 ft) hill located in Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan, to the east of Nara Park. The mountain’s name literally translates to “young grass”.

What is Yamayaki mountain burning?

The Wakakusa Yamayaki is an annual festival during which the grass on the hillside of Nara’s Mount Wakakusayama is set on fire. The mountain is located at the eastern end of Nara Park, and when it is set alight it can be seen throughout the city. The burning of the mountain itself is preceded by a fireworks display.

What does Yamayaki mean?

Japanese culture loves burning things. There’s a single word in Japanese for burning an entire mountain: yamayaki, or 山焼き. Yamayaki festivals celebrate burning a mountain or part of a mountain. The origin of such festivals varies.

Which country is practicing Yamayaki mountain burning?

Yamayaki can be translated as “controlled burn” and is practiced all over Japan to ward off insects, or drive away bears and wild boars. The Wakakusa Yamayaki Festival officially starts with a ceremonial lighting of the torch with sacred fire at Kasuga Taisha Shrine in Nara.

What country Yamayaki mountain burning?

Fireworks are a great way to celebrate any occasion, but like NuanQuan’s molten iron throwing festival, the Japanese city of Nara (the city of deer) has taken their festivities a notch higher.

What is Fukusasa lucky bamboo branches?

Fukusasa are branches of leafy bamboo decorated with lucky trinkets and ornaments made by miko (shrine maidens). They are typically sold in January by shrines dedicated to Ebassen, the Shinto god of business prosperity.

What is mamemaki bean throwing?

Rituals vary throughout Japan, but one of the more common and well-known rituals is mamemaki (豆撒き, “bean throwing”). People throw roasted soybeans, or fukumame (福豆, “fortune beans”), out from the front door of their homes or shrines while shouting “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!” (鬼は外！

What is Dondoyaki?

Dondo Yaki is the custom of burning old lucky items such as Omikuji or Daruma dolls in the middle of January at Shinto shrines across Japan. In Japan, most people visit a Shinto shrine at New Years in a custom known as Hatsumode.

Is Lucky Bamboo bamboo?

Lucky bamboo is a household plant known to increase feng shui. The common houseplant that most people refer to as lucky bamboo is not actually bamboo. While the stalks or stems do resemble bamboo, it’s actually called dracaena or Dracaena sanderiana.

Why are oni scared of beans?

福は内!, Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!), before slamming the door. The beans are thought to symbolically purify the home by driving away the evil spirits that bring misfortune and bad health with them.

What is Haru Matsuri?

Haru Matsuri literally means spring festival. The Japanese carry out ​​a lot of activities and events, that traditionally were intended to pray for a new crop and to welcome the spring. With spring comes the blooming period, which for the Japanese means change, a new beginning.

What is Wakakusa Yamayaki?

Every winter on the fourth Saturday of January, Mount Wakakusayama’s slopes are burned during the spectacular Wakakusa Yamayaki. The origins of the event are unclear.

Where can I see the burning of Mount Wakakusa?

The burning of Mount Wakakusa as part of the annual festival can be seen from the city of Nara and many other locations in the northern part of the Nara basin. It can be viewed at a further distance from the Aeon Mall Yamato-kōriyama multilevel parking lot, and from buildings in the cities of Kashihara and Gose.

When is Wakakusa Yamayaki 2020?

The next Yamayaki is expected to be held on January 25, 2020. The Wakakusa Yamayaki is an annual festival during which the grass on the hillside of Nara’s Mount Wakakusayama is set on fire.

How far is Nara from Kofuku-ji?

The Nara Visitor Center and Inn is situated in the heart of Nara, just a 3-minute walk from Kofuku-ji Temple and Naramachi. The Todai-ji Temple and Deer Park are a 10-minute stroll away, while Nara Station on the Kintetsu Line is a 7-minute walk. JR Nara Station is 14-minutes away on foot.