HYOGO, Jan 12 (News On Japan) –
A conventional New Year occasion often known as the “Lucky Man Selection,” by which contributors compete to be the primary to wish for the brand new 12 months, was held on January tenth at Nishinomiya Shrine in Hyogo Prefecture, the top shrine of “Ebessan,” the deity of affluent enterprise.
At 6 a.m., the shrine gates had been thrown open to the sound of taiko drums, sending about 5,000 runners surging ahead alongside the stone-paved strategy towards the principle corridor some 230 meters away. Leading the cost had been 108 contributors chosen by lottery, all sprinting in unison towards the sacred vacation spot.
The gate-opening ritual and Lucky Man Selection are a spotlight of the annual Toka Ebisu pageant, held to wish for enterprise success. The first three individuals to succeed in the principle corridor are awarded the titles of first, second, and third Lucky Man.
This 12 months’s prime honor, often known as the First Lucky Man, went to Teppei Toyokawa, a 22-year-old college scholar from Kyoto.
“I was so surprised that I couldn’t tell if it was a dream or reality,” Toyokawa stated. “It was my first time, and I’m truly happy.”
The three males chosen as Lucky Men took half in a ceremonial kagami-biraki, breaking open a sake barrel, and prayed for happiness and luck all year long forward.
Source: YOMIURI