Aoi Matsuri
Photo taken on May 15, 2005 at 14:57:18 - (Clicking on the photo will show the next photo)
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We arrived in Kyoto on the day of a special festival called "Aoi Matsuri".
Matsuri means festival, and Aoi is the name of a type of hollyhock plant.
The festival dates back to the 6th century, and commemorates the
successful prayers of the people for the gods to stop calamitous weather.
The modern-day festival involves people dressed up in period clothing
on a parade through the streets of Kyoto. The hollyhock plant is either
worn or carried by most of the people in the parade (which I assume had
some sort of spritual significance).
