Travel

Giant Torches Dance at Kumano Nachi Taisha

Wakayama, Jul 14 (News On Japan) - The annual 'Nachi no Ogi Festival' took place at the World Heritage site Kumano Nachi Taisha in Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, on July 14.

In front of Nachi Falls, shrine parishioners dressed in white robes chanted 'Harya, Harya' while carrying giant torches, captivating a large crowd of spectators with the festival's impressive fire dance, also known as the Fire Festival.

The festival is a sacred event where the gods, once a year, are said to ride on twelve portable shrines shaped like fans and return to the sacred Nachi Falls.

Source: Kyodo

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