The flower festival begins on Kodo Mountain. Praying for recovery during a talent summit/Yokohama

Translated from the original article at: http://news.kanaloco.jp/localnews/article/1204010027/

April 1, 2012

A Thai Flower Dance Parade.

The Kodo Mountain Flower Festival began on the 1^st , on Kodo Mountain in the Kanagawa Ward of Yokohama City. The citizens of the area enjoyed a girl scout color guard group, brass band, children's parade, Mikoshi parade and a Thai flower parade, made up of young female followers of Thailand’s religions, spanning 1 kilometer (.6 miles). The festival lasts until April 10.

Reaching the 60th anniversary of the festival, this year's theme is "The flower festival, tying together happiness". Last year's parade was interrupted due to a Buddhist Memorial service in the area, being held to mourn all those who passed away in the Eastern Japan disaster. This time, the festival has moved to a period of praying for recovery. On the 7th and 8th, an exhibit of goods from the North-Eastern Japan area will be on display. On the 8th, a traditional folk entertainment gathering will be held.

The products scheduled to be on display include shark fin sushi of Kesennuma, Miyagi and salted wakame of Iwate Prefecture. Performing in the folk entertainment convention will be Kesennuma's Namiita Tiger Dance  Preservation Association and a Jangara Dance Group from Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture.

Kodo Mountain is embraced by the country’s believers of filial piety, as it the location of the Head Temple for the Religious Association of Filial Piety (Uniformly governed by Okano Masazum). Kodo Mountain invited the Enraku Temple (of Mount Hiei's) Bone of the Buddha and Immortal Light of the Buddhists festivals to be performed within Kodo Mountain Temple, in 1952 and 1960 respectively.

Original text:

孝道山で花まつり始まる、復興祈念し芸能大会も/横浜

2012年4月1日

タイ舞踊「フラワーダンス」のパレード

横浜市神奈川区の孝道山で１日、「孝道山花まつり」が始まった。ガールスカウトカラーガード隊、ブラスバンド、稚児行列、地元町内会のみこしや、女性の信徒によるタイ舞踊「フラワーダンス」が約１キロをパレード、地元住民らを楽しませた。10日まで。

60回目を迎えた今回のテーマは「幸せの縁をむすぶ花まつり」。昨年はパレードを中止し、東日本大震災の物故者を弔う法要を営んだ。今回は、大震災からの復興を祈念して期間中、東北地方の物産展（７、８日）と民俗芸能大会（８日）が開かれる。

物産展には、宮城県気仙沼市のふかひれ寿司や、岩手県産の塩わかめなどが出品される。芸能大会には、気仙沼市の浪板虎舞保存会や、福島県いわき市のじゃんがら踊りが参加する。

孝道山は、全国に信徒を擁する孝道教団（岡野正純統理）の本山。境内には１９５２年と60年にそれぞれ比叡山延暦寺から招来した「仏舎利」と「不滅の法灯」が祭られる。