If you saw a massive, pink penis being carried down the street by hundreds of people, you’d be forgiven for thinking... actually we have no idea what the first thing to spring to your mind would be. But, if you did witness a massive pink penis being carried down the street yesterday, then you'd probably stumbled across Kanamara Matsuri, Japan’s annual penis festival – known locally as the ‘Festival of the Steel Phallus’. Of course.
The festival happens every year on the first Sunday of April, and is held in the Japanese city of Kawasaki. After the lighting of the sacred flame at the Kanayama shrine, a giant pink penis altar is carried around the city in a huge procession. There’s also penis-shaped sweets, illustrations and carved vegetables as part of the event. Visitors can also buy small penis-shaped souvenirs, which they’re encouraged to rub on a large cast-iron sculpture of a vagina and a pair of legs for good luck. Which couldn’t sound more normal.
It’s a tradition that dates back as far as Japan’s Edo Period in the 16th century and originally the festival centred around a local penis-venerating shrine, which was popular with prostitutes who would pray to it for protection from STIs. The penis altar is also said to help provide marriage harmony and – bizarrely – business protection. These days, the festival is used to raise money for HIV research and it’s become a massive tourist attraction with thousands of people coming from all over to marvel at the penisy splendour of the whole thing. From these pictures, we can see why – anyone else fancy a quick trip to Japan this time next year?
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Pictures: Rex
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.