Culture

Sominsai: The End of a 1000-Year-Old Festival

This year saw the end of Sominsai, a unique festival in which loinclothed men plunge into freezing water, are enveloped in smoke, and jostle through the night to grasp a lucky sack as a form of prayer to the Buddha for a bountiful harvest and plentiful health.

Schedule

  • Image
    Sominsai: The End of a 1000-Year-Old Festival: TVSS: Staple

    Sominsai: The End of a 1000-Year-Old Festival

    Wednesday
    May 13

    1 Hour

    An in-depth look at the end of Sominsai, a unique cultural festival in Japan featuring competitive challenges that act as a purification ritual and form of prayer to the Buddha.

PBS PASSPORT

Stream tens of thousands of hours of your PBS and local favorites with WETA+ and PBS Passport whenever and wherever you want. Catch up on a single episode or binge-watch full seasons before they air on TV.