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Events & Festivals in Kashima City
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| January |
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| "Hatsumode", New Year's shrine visit (January 1) |
| On New Year's eve, a large number of people go to Kashima Shrine and fill up the shrine's main street. "New Year's Day Festival" also takes place at the shrine. |
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| Oume Festival (January 7) |
| With 750 years tradition, it is one of the three major Oume festivals. It features horse riding, called "Omezame" (waking up), in which men ride horses between the tower gate and the east gate creating a vigorous sound of hoofbeats. |
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| February |
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| Setsubun Festival (February 3) |
| "Setsubun" is the last day of winter according to the old calendar. A largescale Mame-maki (bean-throwing ceremony) is held in which some famous persons are invited, and lucky-bean scatterers of the year throw parched beans to drive away imaginary devils. |
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| March |
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| Saito Festival (March 9) |
| This festival shows the origin of "Kashima-dachi"(departure on a journey), an ancient ritual held when garrisons departed from Kashima for Kyushu in the Nara period. Performers in colorful costumes form a ceremonial procession. They proceed along the shrine's main approach crossing oak poles in their hands and chanting. |
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| April |
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| Kashima Cherry Blossom Festival (April 1 to the middle of April) |
| Kashima Shiroyama Park is noted for its cherry trees. While the cherry blossoms are in bloom, the park is filled with people who enjoy the sight of the cherry blossoms and enjoy having parties in the evening. After the cherry season, rhododendrons color the park red. |
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| May |
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| Rice Planting Festival and Horseback Archery (May 1) |
| Little girls pantomime the process of rice cultivation on the premises representing a paddy field. Their immature moves, pantomimed to the accompaniment of flutes and drums, draw pleasant smiles from viewers. "Yabusame" (horseback archery) can also be seen on the back street of the shrine. |
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| Hamanasu Festival (the biginning of May to the biginning of June) |
| "Hamanasu" or sweet briers, bloom a mysterious red-violet flower. Held during the Golden Week, this festival along with a local products fair attracts many tourists. |
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| June |
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| Kashima Shrine Ancient Martial Arts Dedicatory Performance (2nd Sunday of June) |
| When irises bloom in Itako, a neighboring town, there are performances by around ten schools of martial arts, including a new Kashima style of fencing. These perfomances are dedications to Kashima shrine. |
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