Nagasaki Kunchi 長崎 くん ち Yesterday I had the good fortune to watch the preparations for the Nagasaki Kunchi 長崎 くん ち can. The actual festival begins at 07.10. and will last three days. Each district is this a great car festival or lead dancing dragon through the streets and bless the shops. I had the sample extraction of so-called "Nanbansen" - can watch - "Ship of the southern barbarians." This refers to this barbarian the Portuguese, who landed in southern Kyushu in 1543 and then from 1577 had a strong trading post in Nagasaki. Festival cars are nothing special at Matsuri Japanese 祭り - so the religious festivals are called - but the Nagasaki Kunchi is by its dynamics and shape of the car but something unique. The history of the festival goes to the first half of the 17th Century, when the country began to close just to the west and made the Portuguese and Spaniards in the country were. Since that time Christianity was widespread in Kyushu, one uses the Nagasaki Kunchi to underground living Japanese Christians (Kakure kirishitan 隠れ キリシタン) to get out of their hiding places. At the start of the festivities had to Drachentaenzern access to private houses to be granted under the intent of the blessing of the domestic sphere. But actually it was the specific plot of hidden crucifixes and altars searched and executed Christians. This tradition of "Garden Show" (O-niwamise お 庭 見せ) is still being carried out as pure ritual.
Most of the major festival cars are small-scale ship reproductions the then Japanese, Portuguese and Chinese traders, but there are also large Trommeltuerme, wasserspeiende whales or Glueckssymbole as the Gold Hammer of God daikokuten 大 黒 天 worn dancing and singing through the streets.
disguised as a train of Portuguese children:
The Portuguese caravel:
The train of the Supplier:
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