hello am new here. just recently found this forum interesting and joined. Anyway...
ii would like to share about Namahage, as ii dont really see any post about this yet. Prolly ii will just wiki it.LOL.



Wikipedia:-
Namahage is a Japanese ritual which is observed throughout Oga Peninsula, Akita Prefecture in northern Honshu, Japan. It is said to have originated as a ritual for cleansing people's souls, and for blessing the new year.[citation needed] It is a kind of toshigami.

Young children; loud, obnoxious, and naughty are often the blight of many parents? existence. For the parents in Japan?s Oga Peninsula, Akita Prefecture in northern Honshu, Japan, there is a solution: the infamous Namahage; where an annual ritual takes place in February. Dozens of young men and women from Akita, Japan dress like the Namahage demon. Each portrayer adorns an eerie demon mask (red: female, blue: male), a straw raincoat and waistband and carries a scary tool made of wood depicting a knife; and a pail. They re-enact the folklore dressed as these demons and march around the village in hopes of scaring prepubescent kids into total parental submission. Going door-to-door, they sweep the village threatening to drag any spoiled disobedient children. As the story goes, a child that is disobedient is dragged into the snow covered mountains away from their parents. Knowing the story very well, upon barging into each home, the young children is immediately frightened by loud roars as they are chased, kids typically scream with agony and fear. This prompts parents to sooth their kids worries of being taken away by the Namahage, letting them know that they?ve been behaving.

The Namahage then encourage the children to keep studying and working hard, as a result the kids make a promise, or a New Year?s resolution to behave. The Namahage deities are then received by the head of the family in formal dress, who offers sake and mochi rice cakes. Upon appeasement by the warm hospitality, they take leave of that house, promising that the family will be blessed with good health, a large catch and a rich crop in the New Year, and then set off to visit the next home.

Comment: the first impression when I reach Oga city, Namahage displays are everywhere. It's a good opportunities to see them perform, which is one of the winter festive - correct me am wrong?

Group: Namahage Sato Kaguro (which is famous in Akita-ken).