The Fire Festival

 After our dinner it was a short walk through the snow to the site of the fire festival, held every year on 15 Jan to ensure the gods look kindly on Nozawa Onsen.  Everything was ready when we arrived and most of the good viewing spots were taken, the snow had turned to smooth ice from all the footprints and it was quite hard to stand, but that made the scene more exciting,  The fireworks went off, the drums were beating,   a fire was lit to provide a lighter for all the bundles of twigs, the 42 year old men sitting on the platform were in full voice, the 25 year old men were waiting for the battle to commence and we found a safer spot to stand just near the police tent, as none of us wanted to end up with broken bones from the slippery ice.

 

the photo above is one of the two poles, with decorations made by the 60 year old women in the village and wishes for every boy child born in the last year.  Usually they only have one but this year they needed two, must have been a boom year for births.

 We couldn't survive the cold to stay till the end, and it was 10 oclock and the boys need to be in bed, the end was shown on the TV in our rooms and is spectacular, the men had left the platform as soon as the logs are alight, so they were safe and next year they help defend the 42 year old men in the battle. The last thing to be burnt is the poles with the wishes for the boy babies.

 next morning it was back to view the site and all the people gathered to see the embers, cooking their breakfast and getting something for a good luck piece for the year.  We had a taxi to catch to get to the station for our train to Narita.

and this is what we were leaving.  I could get to like living in snow country.