Podcasts Culture Holiday a Day Akita Kanto Matsuri

Akita Kanto Matsuri

Published: Aug. 7, 2014, 5:01 a.m.

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Hello and welcome to Holiday a Day, your daily dose of Holidays, festivals, celebrations and remembrances from around the world.

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I\\u2019m Jeffrey Johnson

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On August 4th 2014 we celebrate

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Akita Kanto Matsuri

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One of the three main festivals of the Tohoku region in Japan, the festival is dedicated to the five grains; wheat, rice, beans, foxtail millet and Chinese millet.

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During the festival bamboo poles, reaching over 26 feet in height with 46 paper lanterns shaped like rice bags are carried by young people. These kanto, as they are called are used to drive away evil spirits. Weighing up to 130 pounds, the kanto are paraded through the town by people wearing short jackets, hachimaki headbands, white tabi socks and sori straw sandals while not using their hands. \\xa0The poles are supported using hips shoulders and foreheads.

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Happy Akita Kanto Matsuri!

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If I have missed anything for this date or if you think I might miss a future holiday let me know by emailing me at holidayaday@gmail.com or you can tweet me @holidayaday. Remeber to subscribe to the podcast at \\u201cHoliday a Day\\u201d in iTunes or Stitcher or you can just visit holidayaday.com so you won\\u2019t miss out on any celebrations

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And remember to have a great day because there is a holiday out there somewhere.

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