The Japanese are next level when it comes to culture and living to their own drumbeat. I have been fascinated with Japanese history and culture for decades. When I first went there, I realized I had found another place I could call home. Today I was trolling the internet (via Dangerous Minds) and came across this interesting Demonic festival that takes place every year in Miyakojima, Okinawa, called the Paantu Festival. When I see pictures of these men in full costume it reminds me that pagan traditions can be found everywhere, from Africa to Europe.
Every year during the ninth month of the lunisolar calendar, male villagers will dress up as paantu, supernatural beings meant to spread good luck and scare away evil spirits. The common feature is a wooden mask with a large forehead, small eyes, and a thin mouth, and the spreading of sacred mud onto newly built houses or onto newborn children’s faces. In some villages, the Paantu are accompanied by traditional animist noro priestesses.
via Dangerous Minds
