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matsuri

matsuri

9.9
A Japanese festival with parades, music, and food stalls
  • noun
  • /mɑːˈtsuːri/
translation icon : matsuri
  • The annual matsuri in Kyoto features vibrant parades and traditional music that bring the community together.

Examples

  • During the summer, the small town hosts its matsuri, celebrating with fireworks and dance performances.

  • Many visitors travel to Japan to experience the colorful matsuri held in various regions, showcasing local customs.

  • Other urbanites will take advantage of the travel campaigns to appropriate some other home village and attempt to experience it as their own furusato by participating in its matsuri.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Because a great deal of mass-disseminated imagery is involved, the aesthetics presented in association with such matsuri often have the strength to emotionally move people, despite the actuality of their origins.

    Academic text (1997)

Synonyms

festival
vsmatsuri
268 1.0

A time when people gather to celebrate with food and fun

is a traditional Japanese religious event often with parades and music

How Festive

matsuri
9.9
festival
178 1.0
celebration
430 1.0

Surface Forms

matsuri singular
matsuris plural

Etymology

The word matsuri comes from the old Japanese verb matsuru, which means 'to worship' or 'to honor'. A matsuri was first a religious festival to honor a god at a shrine, and that is why today matsuri are still lively community festivals with parades, music, and rituals.