Hakata Dontaku Festival, Fukuoka

“Hakata Dontaku Festival” is a hot festival that brings the whole city together. The “Hakata Dontaku Festival” is a festival that is held every year in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and is a popular historical festival that attracts many people from outside the prefecture.
“Dontaku” is a Dutch word “Zondag” that means a holiday meaning Japanese language. It has a tradition of more than 800 years from Hakata Matsubayashi, and it is literally one of Fukuoka’s most famous festivals, attracting more than 2 million people every year.
The highlights are endless, from the parade of great products to the crowd, the spectacular Flower Festival Cars, and the performances at various locations. Such Hakata Dontaku Festival is full of smiles of young and old. Every year from May 2 to 4, tens of thousands of adults and children, dressed in unique and colorful costumes, dance and dance throughout the town, striking a rice scoop. It is very vibrant year after year. During this time the town is dyed “Dontaku”, please really experience it.
There are 34 special theaters in the city. There are so many, so it is necessary to check in advance what to watch. There are a lot of things like TV entertainers, celebrities from all over the world, and TV coverage, so check it out.
The highlight of No. 1 is the “Dontaku Parade” This parade is really fun, so it is recommended you to watch it in the front row. Because when you look at the front row, they will perform in front of you, shake hands, and pose when you point the camera. All of the participants have a strong service spirit.
In the So Odori (a dance festival) for the Grand Finale, it’s ok to join adventitiously. It is safe to dance by watching it. Let’s join the parade while dancing freely.
The best thing about the Hakata Dontaku Festival is “So Odori”. It will be a loss if you don’t participate in the final day when you get mixed up with old and young men and women and dance and swell.

The whole town becomes right flooded with the festival

The festival which is called the greatest festival during Golden Week and counted with Hakata Gion Yamagasa and Hojoya by one of the Hakata 3 grand festivals! It is “Hakata Dontaku Festival.”
Each organization performs a dance and parades the main street in Fukuoka city according to musical accompaniment, and each event is unfolded on the specially built stage which exists 30 or more places. The whole town becomes right flooded with the festival.
The Hakata Dontaku is held every year for two days of May 3 and 4th. And the eve which celebrates holding of Hakata Dontaku on the previous day is performed.

“Dontaku” by “Zondag” meaning a holiday in Dutch

Hakata Dontaku is the festival which began at the Muromachi period and which is originated from “Hakata Matsubayashi” which is a New-Year’s-greetings event to a feudal lord. “Matsubayashi” means hayashi (musical accompaniment) performed in matsunouchi (period that matsu kazari (pine decoration) is displayed in the New Year).
It is said that it was named “Dontaku” by “Zondag” meaning a holiday in Dutch. It was named when reviving “Matsubayashi” forbidden to Meiji Era temporarily.
Then, it was positioned as the Fukuoka citizen’s festival in 1962, and “the Hakata Dontaku Minato Matsuri (harbor festival)” started.

Parade sounding a shamoji

Most those who participate in Hakata Dontaku parade sounding a shamoji (rice scoop).
It is said that this origin begins from the anecdote, which the Okami (female managers of ryokan) who was preparing supper began to be merry with the tone of the musical accompaniment of Dontaku which passed by the merchant’s family front, having struck the shamoji which it had in the hand and having been added to musical accompaniment.

There is greatly two highlight

Since a festival is held in the large area of Fukuoka city, Hakata Dontaku is full of the highlight.
there is greatly two highlight of the “Hakata Dontaku parade” and the “Hakata Dontaku dance performance”.

25,000 persons’ large parade

A highlight is about 25,000 persons’ large parade performed in Meiji Dori between Nakasu and Tenjin.
With Matsubayashi such as Fukujin(God of fortune) and Meoto-Ebisu (God who brings prosperity to merchants’ shops), Daikokuten (Mahakala) in the lead, several hundred groups in favorite clothes, floral car march.

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