At the end of Summer, the Okinawans mark the occasion with the 10,000 Eisa Dancer Parade. Even though it was rainy, many people came out to enjoy the festivities. It’s held in Naha, the capital city in Okinawa. Different cities or regions will put together teams of dancers to showcase their skill or regional customs in the Bon dance tradition of Eisa.
The dancers wore traditional costume and performed songs relating to Okinawan life or culture – celebrating the ocean and its gifts as well as the harvest provided for the year.
The brightly colored costumes are remenisant of traditional festival dress used for just special times of year. Okinawa lives at a crossroads of Japanese and Chinese influence, so some of their traditions can be quite exciting
These giant drums are strapped on to the dancers and they routinely swing them around and jump all over the performance area with them. Very impressive! You can see this guy has quite the serious expression.
There is definitely plenty to love about the festival! You can see that despite the rain, many people come out to support these guys who have been practicing all season for a chance to come out and celebrate thier culture and heritage.
I’m not entirely sure what the deal is with this character, but many of the groups had a similar one. The differently colored outfit, the crazy face paint, and the pointy straw hat. He would go in between the dancers and play with his fan or make faces at the crowd. Kind of cool, but kind of scary!
And then…the rain started. It’s probably rained every day or at least two out of three since we got here. Wild!
Here’s a different jester guy. Definitely not someone you’d want to show up at your house!
Just a couple shots of the street as it got dark. Erika really liked this ghost guy haha! Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed the festival!
