Celebration of the god Ebisu, patron saint of fishermen and merchants (Festival of Good Luck and Happiness) in Japan

The main religions of Japan are Buddhism and Shintoism The second faith is based on the worship of the souls of the dead (kami) and numerous deities One of them is Ebisu, who patronizes fishermen, farmers and traders In honor of this god, the Land of the Rising Sun celebrates the Festival of Good Luck and Happiness on January 9 In the largest cities, musical processions are held, services in temples are held, and bamboo branches are sold - a symbol of prosperity and wealth Buddhism came to Japan from China and Korea in the 6th century AD, while Shintoism arose much earlier - in the 3rd BC Ebisu is the only one of the seven gods of happiness, worshiped for over a thousand years, who is of Japanese origin The other six are borrowed from Hinduism, Taoism and Buddhism Initially, Ebisu was an impersonal deity; later he became a canonical figure - a symbol of certain professions According to one legend, the prototype of the god of luck was a real person from the ruling class who loved to fish According to another, Ebisu is the fruit of the love of Izanagi and Izanagi, the ancestors of the Japanese archipelago As a child, his name was Hariko ("tadpole"), because he was born without arms and legs At the age of 3, the boy was carried away on a reed boat, which washed up on the shores of Hokkaido Ebisu was able to grow his missing limbs, overcame many other trials in life and became the god of happiness The Japanese are very close to this resilient and hardworking character, so they annually set aside 3 whole days to honor him The festival-procession is especially magnificent in Osaka, Kyoto and Fukuoka In front and behind the columns with businessmen, sellers and ordinary people, musicians solemnly walk In the center of the procession is a stretcher with a statue of the god Ebisu Usually his figure resembles a bearded smiling Japanese peasant or a hunter in a hat with a fishing rod in his right hand On its back it carries a large golden-red sea bream (tay) It symbolizes good luck in Japan Sometimes the god is dressed in national clothes - kimono, hakama (wide trousers) and sashinuki (pants tied at the ankles) Ebisu-sama (Mr Ebisu) is worshiped not only by merchants and farmers In Fukuoka, a separate procession is organized by geishas They offer prayers and ask god for favor and success in their field of work Merchants sell various talismans in honor of the holiday: drums, bags made of rice straws and rakes made of bamboo for symbolic “raking” of wealth These souvenirs are attached to bamboo branches, which promise great income and brisk trade throughout the year