Ryukyu Mura Part 2

Here are my kiddos with the performers.  There is the Emperor and Empress and their attendants, Kijimuna, female dancer and taiko drummer.

One of the really fun things about Ryukyu Mura is the parade/performances they hold twice each day.  These performances showcase several of the festivals held during the year.  It gives you a quick snapshot of all the fun you can have during the year.

The first picture is of the Miruku parade.  The guy with the mask is the Bodhisattva of happiness, rich harvests, and prosperity.  

The two female dancers in the middle pictures are performing some kind of harvest dance.  They are holding farm tools and whistling and singing.  The Okinawans are amazing whistlers.

The dancer on the right is performing the Juri Dance.  The performers are holding two wooden pieces in each hand that they click together.
The dance was staged to bring auspicious conditions for a good harvest and profitable business. However, the Juri dance (Juri means prostitute in the Okinawan dialect) has not been performed since 1989, when a feminist group criticized the decadence of the event.  They started performing again in 2001.  Source

The picture on the right shows the royal party who watch over the festivities.  I love the sheer orange kimono that the Empress is wearing.

The next two pictures show the Shi Shi Lion and his master the Kijimuna.  Legend has it the Shi Shi lion lived on a mountain in what is now Uruma City, and that they were instrumental in keeping devils away and protecting the community.  The Shi-Shi-Mai(Lion dance) is known to have the power to ward off evil spirits and summon the god off harvest and wealth, bringing prosperity to the region, and the tradition has been passed for generations everywhere in Okinawa. Source

Tennyson did not enjoy the Shi Shi Lion getting that close.  They are pretty cool costumes.

The two pictures on the left I believe show the performers performing the Kachāshī Dance.  In Okinawa, it is often a feature of celebrations such as weddings and victory festivities after Okinawan sumo matches and public elections. Traditionally, the dance is accompanied by the sanshin and drum, and often punctuated with finger whistling called yubi-bue (指笛^?).  Source

The picture on the left is of two Kijimuna!

A few more pictures of the Juri Dance, the Shi Shi Lion and Kijimuna, and the Taiko Drummers (I have posted about them before).

A street performer entertaining the girls.

**Note for our memory - Grahm decided to be very upset with everyone and would not get close enough to be a part of any of the pictures.  I think he surprised my parents with how stubborn he can be.