NAHA, Sep 17 (News On Japan) –
The Okinawa Island-wide Eisa Festival, the most important occasion of its type within the prefecture, is celebrating its seventieth anniversary this 12 months after rising from its postwar origins into one in all Okinawa’s most consultant cultural occasions.
The pageant traces its origins to the Okinawa Island-wide Eisa Contest, first held in 1956, 11 years after the top of the Battle of Okinawa. At a time when postwar chaos lingered, the competition was organized to energise the neighborhood and was staged on an elementary faculty area with simply ten teams collaborating. Archival footage from Okinawa Television reveals how the occasion later moved to bigger venues, filling them with spectators. Even within the early years, the performances of drummers and dancers left sturdy impressions, with international guests sometimes becoming a member of the crowds.
The contest judged teams on their drumming, choreography, and costumes, however the aggressive format additionally precipitated disputes, with some questioning why conventional neighborhood performances had been ranked. Stories even stay of tempers flaring at award ceremonies. In 1977, the competition was restructured into the Okinawa Island-wide Eisa Festival, shifting from competitors to celebration, and the apply of parading by way of the streets started. This transition broadened its attraction, drawing vacationers from past the area.
Over time, the pageant grew to become a significant attraction, with tens of 1000’s gathering yearly. Even through the pandemic, when in-person occasions had been canceled, organizers produced particular video applications to maintain the custom alive. When the pageant resumed final 12 months for the primary time in 4 years, it drew a document 360,000 guests, highlighting the deep connection between Okinawans and the occasion.
Former youth group chief Taisei Shimada recalled how troublesome it was to maintain the pageant through the pandemic however burdened its significance as a supply of pleasure and id. Participants described lastly with the ability to collect once more as deeply shifting, saying the pageant embodies the spirit of Okinawa.
This 12 months’s milestone seventieth version is as soon as once more bringing collectively youth teams throughout the prefecture, who’re performing with ardour and delight of their traditions. Even for veterans who’ve taken half dozens of occasions, the anticipation stays excessive, with performers describing the pageant as a stage that by no means loses its pleasure.
From its beginnings as an emblem of postwar resilience to its present standing as a cultural spotlight that draws tons of of 1000’s, the Okinawa Island-wide Eisa Festival continues to captivate audiences whereas preserving and passing on the traditions of Okinawa.
Source: 沖縄ニュースOTV