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Welcome all, to my very wintery home!
Most of you are getting ready for Christmas -- and actually so are the people of Titipu. Christmas does not have exactly the same significance in Japan as it does in most countries where it is celebrated, as we consider it mostly a secular holdiday, and an excuse for parties, decorations, and Santa Claus. But more on that in a few minutes. What we have in the beginning of December, here in Titipu, is a famous Winter festival, just like the even more famous Night Festival (yomatsuri) in our sister city, Chichibu. So that is why you see so many fireworks on this page--and yes, that is me riding on top of the holiday float in the margins of this page.
This is the famous Yomatsuri float -- and the parade has lots of them. Each one is covered with beautiful paper lanterns, and they are carried through the streets in a dazzling winter lightshow. Below are several more pictures of the beautiful floats.
The Night Festival is almost 300 years old. Titipu's sister city, Chichibu, has 34 temples dedicated to Kannon, the gentle Goddess of Mercy. The Night Festival was created in her honor.
This is a collection of very beautiful floats.
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Click the picture above to see some very interesting pictures taken by a tourist.
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This is a picture of the Titipu Night
Festival. As you can see, this movie version of "The Mikado"
certainly picked up on the Night Festival theme. Unlike
Chichibu, Titipu has only one temple to the Goddess of Mercy,
and most of us are Episcopalians, anyway! But then,
Titipudlians love any excuse for a holiday, so it really
doesn't matter.
With Christmas right around the corner, I'm
going to have to write to Santa Claus before it is too late!
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Wizard's Quest |
December 10
Brrrr! There is just too much snow on the ground today!
I'm having every hibachi in the place turned on to keep us warm.
So have a seat, stick your legs under the tablecloth,
and have a nice, hot bowl of oden - a very tasy cold-weather
Japanese-style lunch.
Now -- as you can see from my attire, Christmas is in full
swing here in Titipu, now that we've finished with the very
pretty Night-festival. We recently got up a committee to
choose the Titipu Santa Claus for this year -- and as every year,
it seems to fall on the same choices. It never fails - Pish-Tush
recommends Pooh-Bah, and pooh-Bah flatly refuses.
"I should be delighted," he says, "to degrade myself by wearing
a red costume, a fictious beard, and to allow little kiddies to
clambor over me while I say, 'HO HO HO'
were it not for the fact that I am not in the possession of a
sleigh nor a team of reindeer."
Pish-Tush, however, won the argument by reminding him that he
was by far the fattest man in Titipu, but it was his duty as
the only active member of the Titipu Town Council. Pooh-Bah's
heartfelt sigh of condescention was touching to observe. And
so (for a slight bribe) he dutifully donned the red and white
costume for one more year of humiliation. I suppose that's
part of what bushido is all about.
In any event, I am looking forward to parties and presents,
and in true Japanese fashion, we will party until we pop! No
doubt you've already seen the Titipu Christmas Tree, elsewhere
on this site. The next big event on our calendar is of
course the new year -- and in Titipu, that is a very important
day!
And so, until then,
Merry Christmas!
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2003 - 2007
by Daisy Brambletoes, Off-Note Productions and The Jack Point Preservation Society,all rights reserved.
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