Nabekamuri Matsuri

Nabekamuri Matsuri (Pan-on-Head Festival)

May 8The Nabekamuri or Pan-on-Head Festival held in Sakata at the Chikuma Shrine is one of the most unusual of all Japanese festivals. Its roots can be traced back to a time when a previously married woman arrived in Sakata balancing a pan on her head, perhaps to signify her domestic history. Today, about a dozen children march in a parade through town, wearing enormous papier-mâchÉ pans on their heads that are tied under their chins. Other parade participants include lion dancers, people wearing Noh play costumes, flutists, and young girls carrying sacred mirrors.
CONTACTS:
Japan National Tourist Organization
1 Rockefeller Pl., Ste. 1250
New York, NY 10020
212-757-5640; fax: 212-307-6754
www.jnto.go.jp
SOURCES:
JapanFest-1965, p. 148