There’s lots of things we celebrate in life – birthdays, Easter, Christmas, getting a new job… But in Japan, their celebrations are a little nuts shall we say. Kanamara Matsuri (Festival of the Steel Phallus) is held every year at the Kanyama Shrine in Kawasaki Japan and is to celebrate the, well, penis.
Why you ask? Legend has it a jealous sharp toothed demon hid inside the vagina of a young woman and bit off the head of two men’s penises on their wedding night. The woman seeked help from a blacksmith who essentially fashioned a steel penis (basically a metal dildo) to break the demon’s teeth which lead to the celebration of the item. The festival began in 1969 (what a surprise) and is now somewhat a tourist attraction which is used to raise money for HIV research.
If you visit the festival you will find candy, vegetables, sculptures, costumes and much more all shaped like a male’s reproductive organs… I don’t know about you, but it seems like a fun time for a good cause.
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