毎年9月の第4月曜日には、安井金比羅宮で「櫛まつり」が行われます。使い古した櫛や壊れてしまった櫛を供養するものです。本日9月23日が開催日にあたり、雨天が危ぶまれましたが、青空が広がり無事に開催されました。
Annually on the forth Monday in September, a Special memorial service for used and broken hair combs is held at Yasui-Konpira Shrine. Today Sep 23, 2019 was the day. There was a concern of rainfall before it started, but luckily enough, we even saw the blue sky.
久志(くし)塚の前に櫛を納め、感謝の気持ちを込めて神事が執り行われます。
People bring their combs and priests offer a religious service. This shows our strong gratitude toward combs.
人に対してだけでなく、物に対しても感謝の念を抱くこと。物を大切にすること。とても大切なことですね。
Showing gratitude not just to people but also to items is very important point in Japanese culture. This makes us use them very carefully and gently until the end.
神事の後は、時代考証に基づいた時代風俗行列が神社を出発し、祇園を練り歩きます。特徴は、女性の風俗行列であることと、その髪型が全て地毛で結い上げられていることです。
After the service, a parade displaying traditional costumes of each era of Japanese history starts from the shrine and comes back. It's very special because it's focused on ladies, and their hair style done with their own natural hair show exactly how it was in the past.
女性にとって髪の毛はとても大切なもの。美しい髪型は常々、自身の美の象徴でもありました。行列に参加されていた方もお一人お一人、時代衣装も髪型も違いますが大変お美しかったです。
Hair is a woman's crowning glory. It's been a symbol of beauty. Every lady in the parade was with a different hair style in a different costume, but all of them were beautiful.
もし安井金比羅宮を訪れる機会があれば、是非久志塚をご覧になってください。もちろん、縁切り・縁結びも忘れずに。
When you have a chance to visit here, try to find the comb's tomb. And don't forget to wish for fulfillment in love, which is the very strong point of this shrine.