The Mountain God Festival was classified as a "grand annual festival."
It was not held to pray for a good harvest, nor to celebrate one. It was simply a large festival held to celebrate the existence of the mountain god.
The entire village took part in the festival.
First came the "inviting the god" stage. During this stage, shrine maidens danced, while the priests carried the mountain god's sacred body out in a mikoshi. They would descend from the mountain and parade through the village, with villagers dressed in strange costumes walking ahead to clear the way. It was a very lively affair.
At the end of the procession, the mountain god's sacred body arrived at the plaza on the western side of the village. This stage was called "hosting the god."
The villagers placed all sorts of things around the sacred body, while the shrine maidens continued to dance and pray for peace and safety.
After hosting the god came "seeing the god off."
The shrine maidens stopped dancing and walked ahead to lead the way. The priests carried the sacred body and returned the mountain god to the shrine. With that, the god-related portion ended, and the rest was spent wandering the stalls, eating delicious food, playing games, and finally watching fireworks.
For a single village, it was quite a large-scale event.
"Yukata, a fireworks festival... why does this feel so familiar?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka scratched his head.
"By the way, the role of priest is handled by four people. The priests of our generation are Mr. Hijikata Toshizo, Mr. Takasugi Shinsaku, Mr. Sakamoto Ryoma, and—"
"Mr. Sakumura?" Fujimaru Ritsuka answered before she could finish.
"No, Mr. Saito Hajime."
"Mr. Sakumura does not work at the shrine."
Kanna explained it to Fujimaru Ritsuka seriously.
"I see."
Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded