Kakunodate Hiburi Kamakura

Hiburi Kamakura is a mystical festival of flamboyant fire circles dancing in the snow. The fire circles that appear one after the other invite the visitors into the winter nights of fairy tales. Recently, the fire circles can also be seen on the 13th, the day before the festival. On the 14th, the festival is held in several areas of the town in addition to the main venue. The celebration starts when firewood is placed into a furnace built in snow. Then a tenpitsu, a big tree of about 5 meters wrapped with straw, is placed vertically in the snow and burnt. Kadomatsu traditional decorations of the Japanese New Year are also burnt to pray for a year without trouble. Hiburi is a kind of straw bag filled with coal attached to a rope of about 1 meter long. This bag is put on fire and then held by a person who makes it turn around their body. Date: 13th and 14th of February.