festival; feast; carnival
Hinamatsuri (March 3); Girls' Festival; Dolls' Festival
killing an enemy soldier before the start of a battle to raise spirits; blood offering; killing violently; bloodbath; victimizing
midsummer feast; summer solstice celebration; St John's day
a day after the fair; (at a) stage when it's too late
Star Festival (held in July or August); Tanabata; Festival of the Weaver
Star Festival (held in July or August); Tanabata
Buddha's birthday festival (April 8th); Vesak
autumn festival; fall festival
first ceremonial offering of rice by newly-enthroned Emperor
fire festival (often celebrating the absence of fires); New Year's ritual at Izumo Shrine; festival involving fire dedicated to the gods
ceremony honouring the spirits of ancestors (esp. the Bon festival)
ceremony for the repose of a soul; ceremony to pray for the long life of the emperor, empress, crown prince, etc.
Aoi Festival (Kyoto, May 15); Aoi Matsuri
village festival; autumn festival; harvest festival
main festival; main day of a festival
Festival of the Ages (held at Heian Jingu Shrine in Kyoto on October 22); Jidai Festival
semi-naked festival; festival in which the participants go naked apart from loin-cloths
traditional festival on Iriomote Island (southern Okinawa)
small festival held the night before the main festival; eve of a festival
Nebuta Festival (in Aomori, August 2-7)
festival in honor of Daikokuten
Bellows Festival; festival for blacksmiths and foundries on the eighth day of the eleventh month of the lunar calendar, on which they would clean their bellows and pray
Ainu bear-sacrifice festival; Iomante
(rocky) seashore party; seashore festival; celebration in honor of the dragon god by fishermen after a good haul
shrine ritual held with the first two months of the year to forecast (or pray for) a successful harvest; seasonal planting of rice on a field affiliated with a shrine
Sukkot; Succot; Feast of Tabernacles
danjiri festival; cart-pulling festival
the Feast of Weeks; Pentecost
ceremony to purify the ring before the start of a tournament
ceremony held to pray for good weather (during long periods of rain)
minor festival (held in place of a larger festival that is not recurring every year)
traditional festival in Kiryū City, Saitama
festival tabi; strong, rubber-soled footwear worn by festival participants
day-after festival; night-after festival; (smaller) festival held the day (or night) after the main festival