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Matsuri祭り is local commu nity’s festival, representing Japanese traditional culture. Annually, on average, more than 2,400 Matsuri are held across the nation, which implicates that these festivals are deeply rooted in Japanese people’s life. Originally, the Maturi was the ritual during which people worshiped the ancestors and prayed for good harvest and good health.
“Matsurahuまつらふ”, the origin of the word of Matsuri, meaning of which is the obeying the God’s mighty force, is normally associated with solemn ritual. However, real Matsuri is the opposite, not at all solemn. That’s because the festivals primarily represent the world of “Chaos”, deviation from the reality, accordingly the Japanese people give vent to their feelings during the festivals. By the way, there exist particularly some festivals emphasizing the laughter, in which the laughter has some other meaning. In reality these Matusri are called “Matsuri of Laughter” as a whole. During these Matsuri, the laughter is for consoling the God and praying for the happiness of the community. Seemingly exaggerative laughter of Matsuri has holy aspect related to praying for the peace of community. We can find a number of the Matsuri of laughter especially in Kansai Region, for example, Yamanokami Matsuri, Warai Matsuri, Waraikô,
Suishôjin Shinji. Historically equal social atmosphere in Osaka region seems to have made
possible the laughers in Matsuri. It would be difficult to find this kind of collective laughter in unequal society. But the holy “Matsuri of laughter” in Japan is on the way of disappearing and barely keeps itself in existence as local event for tourism. Probably the reason is that this kind of collective laughter is no longer necessary for people’s life.