In a groundbreaking move, Japanese women for the very first time in nearly 1,250 years joined the “naked festival” at a shrine in central Japan.
Dressed in purple robes, women excitedly chanted as they carried a big bamboo trunk as an offering for the ritual.
Seven groups of women participated in the ritual wherein participants prayed for happiness.
Despite the event’s name, the people taking part in it are not naked. Its rituals are also said to drive away evil spirits.
Women donned “Happi Coats”, which are robes that reach the hips and are specifically worn at Japanese festivals.
“I heard that women could participate so I definitely wanted to take part to help bring excitement to this town and festival,” news agency Reuters quoted a 59-year-old civil servant Emi Tachibana, one of the participants, as saying.
A priest at the shrine named Naruhito Tsunoda stated that women were allowed to participate and that some had even made minor offerings as individuals previously. However, he said that when last year a women’s group inquired if they could be a part of the event, saying ‘yes’ was easy.
“I believe the most important thing is for there to be a fun festival for everyone. I think God would be happiest about that too,” he said.
The women, however, did not join the festival’s main event where a large group of men clash together to drive away evil spirits.
Tsunoda stated that it would be tough for the authorities to open up that part of the festival to women considering the physical aspect.
In the year 2023, the Japanese government said that it would work on improving women’s engagement in society after an annual report revealed that the country was struggling to narrow the gender gap.
The World Economic Forum report measuring gender parity ranked Japan at the 125th spot out of 146 countries in 2023, down from 116th in 2022.
(With inputs from agencies)
