Gion Matsuri: The Spirit of the Townspeople During Summer's Grand Festival

Gion Matsuri began as a prayer for the country's health when 66 halberds were erected and 3 mikoshi shrines were paraded through plague-ravaged Heian-kyo in 869. The 33 yamahoko floats in today's climactic procession on July 17 are "moving museums". Revived in 1952, the Kikusui-hoko float was adorned this year with a new tapestry in gratitude to the ancestors. The festival music is traditionally taught orally. The floats are assembled with age-old technics. The streets are alive with revelry on the eve of the parade.