| On August 31, a giant snake made of straw and bamboo paraded in Sekikawa Village, Niigata Prefecture, as a star of a village festival, the 35th Taishita Mon Ja Matsuri, which literally means the festival of a massive snake in Japanese. The giant figure was rebuilt this spring, marking the year 2025, which is the year of the snake in Japan.The annual event began to commemorate the Uetsu Flood that struck the area in 1967. The length of the snake, 82.8 meters, corresponds to the date of the disaster, August 28. The gala motif is a local legend about a giant snake. In 2001, the figure was registered by Guinness World Records as the longest snake made from bamboo and straw.
The serpent consists of a head and 54 body segments, each built by each of 54 settlements in the village using locally-produced bamboo and straw. Approximately 500 people, chiefly villagers but also including overseas visitors and university students who volunteered, carried the snake weighing two tons, while calling out ‘Wasshoi!’ to encourage each other. Asahi Jochi, a 20-year-old sophomore of Ritsumeikan University, joined this year’s snake carriers team. “The whole village was filled with excitement. This is the village that makes me want to come back again,” he said.  Approximately 500 people marched along local rice fields, carrying the giant snake. (In Sekikawa Village, Niigata Prefecture) |