Japan’s giant snake festival with a serious messageーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS #shorts
A giant serpent of straw and bamboo wound its way through Sekikawa Village at the end of August, as residents carried out their annual giant snake festival. The colossal creature stretched 82.8 meters — a length that references the date, August 28, 1967, when a devastating flood swept through the region. This year’s snake, rebuilt for the first time in eight years, tipped the scales at roughly two tons. Around 500 villagers and students shouldered it for a 5-kilometer procession that took around three hours. More than pageantry, the festival is a reminder never to forget past loss, and to remain vigilant for what may come.