Pop Japan

The Hakata Dontaku Festival is one of the most celebrated festivals in Fukuoka Prefecture during Golden Week. Happening every third and fourth of May, the annual two-day dance processions are said to gather an estimated 2 million people.

What makes the festival spectacular are the wild costumes of the participants, as well as the elegant flower floats called hana jidosha, which literally means flower cars.

The festival orignated as Torimon or the Chinese New Year festival during the Edo period. When the Meiji period came, it was stopped because it has become too festive and required a lot of money. In the modern times, it has been revived by the people of Fukuoka, naming it Dontaku.

Photo by Feres. Licensed under Creative Commons. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.1/jp/deed.en)

Tags: hakata dontaku festival, fukuoka prefecture, golden week, hana jidosha, flower cars, torimon, chinese new year, edo period, meiji period, fukuoka, dontaku