石清水祭
Kyoto · Kansai
Held every September 15 at Iwashimizu Hachimangu in Yawata, this is one of the Three Great Imperial Festivals of Japan (with Kyoto's Aoi Matsuri and Nara's Kasuga Matsuri), attended by an envoy of the Emperor. The solemn rite begins around 2am when a torch-lit procession of some 500 attendants in Heian-era court dress descends the mountain to the foot-of-the-hill shrine, culminating in a Hojo-e ceremony releasing fish and birds to show compassion for living things.
Happens every year
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