Namahage Sedo Festival なまはげ柴灯（せど）祭り

なまはげ柴灯（せど）祭り, Namahage Sedo Festivali starts 8th to 10tu February in Akita, Tohoku.

Namahage is a devil. People believe that the devil causes fortune and to keep off evil.

In old days, lazy people often get blisters cause by low temperature burns from staying in front of braziers or open hearth for long time.

So, people threaten lazy people and say ” let’s your blisters peel off by knife then cook it with beans”.

Namahage’s name came from this words to threaten a sluggard.

As you see the photo image, Namahage wears a big devil face mask and a straw rain-cope
and have a big kitchen knife or a hatchet. It’s so scared.

Namahage come into children’s home then call that ” Is there any crying child?”
or “Is there any bad child?”.

They threaten children for education.Most of children cry and say to Namahage
” I never do bad things” or ” I will keep being a good child”.

However, they are convinced by a house owner to leave from their home in the end.

In this festival, we can see Namahage’s traditional parformance and dance.

If we find bad children, let’s bring them to Namahage. Ha ha ha!!.

It’s great to visit Kamakura and Juhyo festival together as these days and place are close.

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