Wishing everyone good luck for the coming year
Dedication exercise at Shuri Castle
On December 25, at Ouchibara, on the reverse side of the main hall of Shuri-Jo Park, President Masao Miyagi dressed as an officer of the Kingdom presented the sacred water Nuubii to a lady of the court.
December 26, 2011 Ryukyu Shimpo
On December 25, a dedication exercise to present the Ryukyu Kingdom with wakamizu or sacred water called Nuubii no Hounou sai was revived at Shuri Castle. The water was drawn from Ookawa in the Hedo district of Kunigami and Hiijaa in Takushi in Urasoe. The solemn performance was organized by the Shuri Tonokura Community Association and was watched by many residents and tourists.
A group of forty people dressed in the period costume of officers and female priests called noro held sacred water as they paraded down the street. The party mixed the water from Ookawa and Takushi Hiijaa in front of the main gate called Enkaku-ji Soumon and entered through the rear entrance of the main hall through the Kyukeimon gate to offer a tribute of water to the court lady Amushirare.
During the Ryukyu Dynasty this ritual was performed to greet the New Year and to wish for peace and calm in the Kingdom, as well as the good health and longevity of the king. “This year, we had a lot of gloomy news about issues such as the earthquake, so there was a certainly lot of feeling involved when I offered the water and requested good fortune for the coming year,” said Masao Miyagi the president of the Community Association.
(English translation by T&CT, Shinako Oyakawa and Mark Ealey)
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