Daikan Misogi News Today

Over a 150 worshippers dressed in loincloths and white robes immerse themselves in freezing water at Kashima Shrine in Ibaraki on Saturday to mark the annual Daikan Misogi.

Young Shinto priests in loincloths have poured icy water on themselves in a traditional ritual of purification to pray for safety throughout the year. The annual ritual called Daikan Misogi is held on the coldest time of the year, based on a traditional lunisolar calendar dividing the solar year into 24 terms. This year, the occasion fell on Wednesday. Six priests took part in the ritual at Hiyoshi Shrine in Akita City, northern Japan, when the temperature outside was minus 2.6 degrees Celsius...