The Ishigakijima Hula Festival 2023 was held at Ishigaki City Shin-Ei Park from 9:00 am on October 14th, with 34 hula groups performing hula on stage in three parts. In addition to the gorgeous costumes, Hawaiian music echoed throughout the venue all day, and visitors enjoyed the world of hula in a luxurious atmosphere just like Hawaii.
There were performers from outside the prefecture, such as Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Aichi, Osaka, Kyoto, Kagawa, and Fukuoka, as well as participants from Okinawa's main island, such as Naha City and Kitanakagusuku Village. Four local groups also joined in, making it a day filled with hula.
On this day, a memorial bell-ringing ceremony was also held in memory of the Maui wildfire that occurred on August 13th this year, which caused a devastating tragedy that left 99 people dead, and the World Peace Bell was rung in tribute to the dead.
Ishigaki City and Kauai Island have been sister cities since 1999. Maui Island is the central island of the Hawaiian Islands, and Kauai is in the northern part of the islands.
The fire disaster on Maui can also happen in Yaeyama because of the winds of typhoons, which had a large impact on the disaster on Maui. Typhoons often hit Yaeyama. Dryness occurs during droughts, which have been rare recently.
If the weather becomes abnormally dry, green trees will become fuel for combustion.
If a fire were to break out on Mt. Omoto, it would be unthinkable for people to enter the mountain and try to put out the fire. A disaster on Maui is not something that could happen to someone else.
However, forgetting all that, this day can be said to be a day when many people were immersed in the lively art of hula.
(Ryusugi group)
