Muko-nage (Throw the bridegroom) (The ceremony on the Little New Year, Tsumari, Niigata)

Muko-nage (Throw the bridegroom) (The ceremony on the Little New Year, Tsumari, Niigata)

“Muko-nage” is held at Matunoyama Onsen Hot Springs in Tsumari on January 15th of the Little New Year.
It is a ceremony in which the bridegroom who married the previous year is thrown off a cliff. It is said that “Muko-nage” began as a way that villager revenged theirselves on a man from another village who stole away a daughter of their village. In the past, the local bridegroom used to be thrown. Due to aging and depopulation, bridegrooms from outside the area are now accepted.
Matsunoyama is one of the snowiest areas in Japan. This ceremony is held on the snowy Little New Year, so even if the bridegroom is thrown off a cliff, the snow will prevent any injuries.

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