Crackers about hanabi
Last weekend, the hanabi or summer fireworks festivals went off with a whizz-bang and boom-boom over the vast waters of Lake Shinji. For two nights the skies erupted into flowers of fire, love hearts, upside-down smiling faces and disembodied heads of Hello Kitty which set children howling up and down the lake, whilst reassuring older brothers and sisters piped cheerfully, "daijobu yo!" ("it's wizard, really, it is!").
Things That Were Super About Hanabi in Matsue
1. The quality of fireworks was damnably good. On exploding into their traditional flower-like shape, some fireworks' falling embers changed colour into blues, greens and reds, and darted about in different directions like fireflies before burning out. Others blossomed into fiery weeping willows in the sky, and bunches of them zoomed about like playful spirits in comet-like finery.
2. The atmos. It's always jolly at hanabi. Families gather on their plastic sheets* and tuck into bentos or festival fare, including takoyaki (octopus balls - for filthy readers, note the absence of an apostrophe), ika (squid) on sticks, barbecued chicken and shaved ice drizzled with sugary flavours. The seared leathery smell of squids-on-sticks is far from appetising to Miss E, but I think the smell is a most festive one here in the Nippon, as it lingers long at many a festival, whatever the season. I also enjoyed the way the crowds ooh-ed and aaah-ed at the fireworks, and applauded after each round.
3. The clothes.
For girls and women: the summer kimono, the yukata, was donned by most. The colours are tropical and summery: orange, yellow, pink, purple and lots of sky blue. Popular patterns included fireworks, goldfish, fans, flowers, dragonflies, butterflies, waves. Some obi belts were elaborately knotted, but the plain simple bow was most common, and others used the convenient pre-tied obi. Little girls, bothered by the constriction of the obi, instead wear a loose scarf-like sash that is long, casually tied and often a bright Indian pink. Teenage gals especially, prior to the festival, made a bee-line for the photo booths of the nearby shopping arcade to get group snaps taken in their get-up. Most gals wore many a jaunty accessory, such as combs hung with little windchime replicas, and chopstick-like ornaments were impaled through tizzed hair.
For boys and men: a few yukata were worn by men. The material is rough compared with that of the women, and always more plain in colour and pattern: blues, greys, browns, blacks and lines, waves or checks. More popular with the boys and men was the casual, pyjama-like outfit jinbei. I have a pair myself, to swan about the house in during the hot weather. Very comfy! I spotted one gal at hanabi in hot pink, floral jinbei, and a young boy wore a set of lime green ones covered in traditional-style motifs of summer insects, especially ones adored (and often caught in nets) by boys - stag beetles and cicadas.
After the festival, quite a few locals were letting off fireworks willy-nilly near our house. I myself had bought a packet of sparklers (pictured). One can easily buy fireworks from the local 100 yen shoppe for local people as they are legally sold in shops here (such as the whizzing yet windy dragonflies of my previous ponder).
*Adorned with various characters such as Charmy Kitty, Mickey Mouse, Pokemon, and Donald Duck.
Things That Were Super About Hanabi in Matsue
1. The quality of fireworks was damnably good. On exploding into their traditional flower-like shape, some fireworks' falling embers changed colour into blues, greens and reds, and darted about in different directions like fireflies before burning out. Others blossomed into fiery weeping willows in the sky, and bunches of them zoomed about like playful spirits in comet-like finery.
2. The atmos. It's always jolly at hanabi. Families gather on their plastic sheets* and tuck into bentos or festival fare, including takoyaki (octopus balls - for filthy readers, note the absence of an apostrophe), ika (squid) on sticks, barbecued chicken and shaved ice drizzled with sugary flavours. The seared leathery smell of squids-on-sticks is far from appetising to Miss E, but I think the smell is a most festive one here in the Nippon, as it lingers long at many a festival, whatever the season. I also enjoyed the way the crowds ooh-ed and aaah-ed at the fireworks, and applauded after each round.
3. The clothes.
For girls and women: the summer kimono, the yukata, was donned by most. The colours are tropical and summery: orange, yellow, pink, purple and lots of sky blue. Popular patterns included fireworks, goldfish, fans, flowers, dragonflies, butterflies, waves. Some obi belts were elaborately knotted, but the plain simple bow was most common, and others used the convenient pre-tied obi. Little girls, bothered by the constriction of the obi, instead wear a loose scarf-like sash that is long, casually tied and often a bright Indian pink. Teenage gals especially, prior to the festival, made a bee-line for the photo booths of the nearby shopping arcade to get group snaps taken in their get-up. Most gals wore many a jaunty accessory, such as combs hung with little windchime replicas, and chopstick-like ornaments were impaled through tizzed hair.
For boys and men: a few yukata were worn by men. The material is rough compared with that of the women, and always more plain in colour and pattern: blues, greys, browns, blacks and lines, waves or checks. More popular with the boys and men was the casual, pyjama-like outfit jinbei. I have a pair myself, to swan about the house in during the hot weather. Very comfy! I spotted one gal at hanabi in hot pink, floral jinbei, and a young boy wore a set of lime green ones covered in traditional-style motifs of summer insects, especially ones adored (and often caught in nets) by boys - stag beetles and cicadas.
After the festival, quite a few locals were letting off fireworks willy-nilly near our house. I myself had bought a packet of sparklers (pictured). One can easily buy fireworks from the local 100 yen shoppe for local people as they are legally sold in shops here (such as the whizzing yet windy dragonflies of my previous ponder).
*Adorned with various characters such as Charmy Kitty, Mickey Mouse, Pokemon, and Donald Duck.
posted by Miss Ember at 1:02 am
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home