Saiō Matsuri

Saiō Matsuri
Saiō Matsuri
	Scene from 2007 Saiō Matsuri, Meiwa Town, Mie Prefecture, Japan
Observed by	Meiwa, Mie Prefecture, Japan
Type	Cultural
Significance	Celebrates the town's history of once being an Imperial residence
Begins	Saturday
Ends	Sunday
Date	First Saturday in June
2020 date	June 6
2021 date	June 5
2022 date	June 4
2023 date	June 3
Frequency	annual

The Saiō Matsuri (斎王まつり) is a 2-day festival held on the first weekend of June in the town of Meiwa, Mie Prefecture in Japan. The Saiō Matsuri celebrates the town's history of once being an Imperial residence. The festival re-enacts the march of the Saiō and her entourage to the nearby Ise Shrine. The festival consists of over 100 people dressed in spectacular Heian period costume, marching down a section of the Ise Kada, the old Ise Pilgrimage road, toward the Saikū Historical Museum (斎宮歴史博物館). 2006 saw the celebration of the 24th annual Saiō Matsuri.

References[]

Saio Matsuri (Japanese)