We play cherry blossom viewing in spring. It is contact to nature. Moreover, we meet also with a spirit named Kappa.
"It is dawn in spring. It becomes the purple to which sunshine hits a mountain gradually. And a cloud flows out."
Japanese people used the calendar of the moon twisted for filling for the Meiji time from Seishonagon's time. The New Year was close to the first day of spring at the time. Therefore, January to March was called spring. In the present calendar, February 4 is the first day of spring. This date to the first day of summer in May is spring.
The pleasure of spring has cherry blossom viewing. We play cherry blossom viewing with the friend and various groups of work now. Until very recently, people put dishes in the nest of boxes, and played "Odebai" as a community event. Murahara's people still play cherry blossom viewing in Sakizono park. They played it by Hie shrine or Manose River before.
Also in Kukino, there was cherry blossom viewing for every community. This is named "Okanoboi." In Kominato-Tyuou, people came out to the beach, and played and enjoyed the dance of a sickle, and the dance of a stick. It was called "Debira." People of each community were coming for seashell digging to the Fukiage beach from Katsume of Kawanabe etc. before. Moreover, Takakura's grass horse race was also prosperous as cherry blossom viewing at prewar days.
By the way, there is legendary in the equinoctial week of spring. Kappa cries with "Hyou-hyou" and it gets down from a mountain to a river. Kappa is called Garappa in Kagoshima. People believe that he is God of a rice field, God of water, or a bird. On the other hand, in Kukino, I learned the story of the man of having set sumo wrestling to Kappa. Preparation of a rice field will also start March. God of a rice field comes down to a village, and will watch agricultural work. Exchange with the sea, a mountain, and intimate people. The encounter to spirits of a departed person. It comes into contact with nature in spring, and is the season which sympathizes a new fiscal year.
In the equinoctial week of autumn, Garappa returns to a mountain again.
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