Chichibu Kawase Festival
The Chichibu Kawase Festival is held every year on July 19 and 20. It is the summer festival of Chichibu Shrine. People also call it "O-Gion" in Chichibu.
It is the counterpart to the famous Chichibu Night Festival in winter. The Kawase Festival is a daytime, summer, children’s festival, unlike the night festival which is for adults.
On the evening of July 19, eight beautiful floats called Kasaboko and Yatai are pulled around the town with traditional music. At sunset, the floats gather at Chichibu Shrine for a ceremony called "Tenno Hashira Tate," which welcomes the god Susanoo-no-Mikoto. The shrine is lit up by lanterns, creating a magical atmosphere.
On July 20, the floats are pulled through the streets from morning. Around noon, they gather again at the shrine. After that, the procession moves to the river for the "Mikoshi Washing Ceremony," where a 400kg wooden portable shrine is washed in the clear waters of the Arakawa River.
In the evening, the floats are pulled again along the main street. Highlights include the passing and separating of the floats.