PHALLUS FEST

The Kanamara Matsuri (Festival of the Steel Phallus) happened last Sunday. It is an annual springtime Shinto fertility held in Kawasaki. Japan. The exact dates vary, but the main festivities always fall on the first Sunday in April. The penis forms the central theme of the event that is reflected everywhere – candy cocks, carved vegetables, decorations, and a mikoshi parade. The Kanamara Matsuri is centered around a local penis-venerating shrine once popular among prostitutes who wished to pray for protection against sexually transmitted diseases.