Sominsai: The End of a 1000-year-old Festival

This year saw the end of Sominsai, a unique festival in which loinclothed men plunge into freezing water, are enveloped in smoke, and jostle through the night to grasp a lucky sack as a form of prayer. This year saw the end of Sominsai, a unique festival in which loinclothed men plunge into freezing water, are enveloped in smoke, and jostle through the night to grasp a lucky sack as a form of prayer. This year saw the end of Sominsai, a unique festival in which loinclothed men plunge into freezing water, are enveloped in smoke, and jostle through the night to grasp a lucky sack as a form of prayer. This year saw the end of Sominsai, a unique festival in which loinclothed men plunge into freezing water, are enveloped in smoke, and jostle through the night to grasp a lucky sack as a form of prayer.