So, about 2,500 years ago in China there began this festival of racing boats across a river. This has become part of the annual Summer Harvest rituals of East Asia since antiquity. The tradition comes to Okinawa by way of China, with whom the Okinawans have strongly identified over centuries of trade, but that's another post.
The point is: Every year on the Lunar calendar 5/5, East Asia celebrates this festival. In Okinawa they call it a Haari, others call it Matsuri, I call it fun.
Before the race can begin the village assembles at the village shrine (where their ancestors dwell) and ask for them to join in the celebration, then they play drums and walk to the harbor's kami (something like a spirit) shrine and ask for favorable conditions and their influence to get a really good race going. Then a costumed group goes out into the water to show how its done:
Our Institute is currently building an amazing facility in Onna Village and to be good neighbors we entered two teams (one boys and one girls) for the race. This race is not so much about having a bunch of strong folks as much as having a tightly synchronized group.
The men did really well, but there were some really great mens teams out there. The women's team did even better than the men's but, were just 4 seconds short of the finals.
We didn't win the cup (made of Ryukyu Glass, of course) filled with Orion beer. But we did win two gorgeous fish, and we promptly ate them as sashimi and in a soup at the after party.
3 comments:
Love the way they sliced and made use of every edible part of the fish...nothing's wasted.
Love those teeshirts...where can I get one?
was also wondering if I could email you about life in Okinawa and also maybe OIST? if you can provide an email address, that will be great!
I want to get one of those awesome t-shirts.
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