The Original Bucket Challenge
In winter with young children no less!
Kia ora Koutou, Tim Bunting, Kiwi Yamabushi here on the Japan you never knew you wanted to know.
Yaya Matsuri is an annual festival that takes place in Shonai-Machi, Yamagata Prefecture. During the festival, unsuspecting participants get ice-cold buckets of water poured over them.
Oh, and it’s held in the middle of winter when the landscape looks like this:
The participants have buckets of ice-cold water poured over them, and then they run to and from the local shrine.
Oh, and did I mention some of the participants are kindergarteners?
The festival is for young men to grow strong and learn to be brave. Well, that’s one way of doing it!
I don’t think this is the original Bucket Challenge, but it’s probably among one of the first!
Daily Yamabushi for This Week
Daily Yamabushi posts for the week of January 12 to January 18, 2024.
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Ka kite ano.
Tim.