8.11.2008

Chibikko Daijayama to be Featured in 15th Annual Honolulu Festival

Aloha.

Daijayama is the Fire Spitting Dragon from Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. Each summer the Daijayama Summer Festival attracts over 400,000 spectators, celebrating an old legend dating back over a thousand years.Dragon floats parade through the main streets in Fukuoka Prefecture each July manned by thousands of people. Folklore has it that the dragon is a water god, blessing the farmlands with water and children with good health.

The Honolulu Festival has been featuring this towering dragon float measuring 20 feet in height and 33 feet in length in the Grand Parade for the past several years. Manned by volunteers from Japan and Hawaii, it is one of the most exciting sights to see. The fireworks light up the skies of Waikiki and the performers dance to the drums and flutes traditional of Japan.
The exciting news is that we will be adding a “Chibikko Daijayama” in the 15th Annual Honolulu Festival. “Chibikko” is a slang word meaning “Kids” in Japanese. This means that not only will we the large Daijayama but also a little one manned by the kids of Honolulu!
Representatives of the Honolulu Festival Foundation from Hawaii and Osaka were invited to attend the Daijayama Summer Festival in Omuta in July. And granted the summer weather was quite unbearable but the experience was once in a lifetime. It is customary to cut off the heads of the dragons at the end of the Festival and burn it. Fortunately we were able to rescue the Chibikko Daijayama. It will be brought over to Honolulu to participate in the 15th Annual Honolulu Festival Grand Parade. This is great news because there is nothing cuter than watching the children of Hawaii parading down Waikiki’s Kalakaua Avenue dressed up in their Japanese happi coats! You won’t want to miss this new addition. Please come and join us!
[Honolulu Festival Official Site]


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