Kanamara Matsuri

                    FESTIVAL OF THE STEEL PHALLUS

                The Shinto Kanamara Matsuri , ("Festival of the Steel Phallus") is held each spring at the Kanayama Shrine  in Kawasaki, Japan. The exact dates vary: the main festivities fall on the first Sunday in April. The penis, as the central theme of the event, is reflected in illustrations, candy, carved vegetables, decorations, and a mikoshi parade.

                 The Kanamara Matsuri is centred on a local penis-venerating shrine. The legend being that a sharp-toothed demon (vagina dentata) hid inside the vagina of a young woman and castrated two young men on their wedding nights. As a result, the young woman sought help from a blacksmith, who fashioned an iron phallus to break the demon's teeth, which led to the enshrinement of the item.This legend in Ainu language was published as "The Island of Women" by Basil Hall Chamberlain.

                  The Kanayama Shrine was popular among prostitutes who wished to pray for protection from sexually transmitted infections.It is also said the shrine offers divine protections for business prosperity, and for the clan's prosperity; and for easy delivery, marriage, and married-couple harmony.

                  The festival started in 1977. It used to be a small festival, but it has become bigger and bigger.Today, the festival has become something of a tourist attraction and is used to raise money for HIV research.

                       T  E  X  T        C  O  M  P  R  E  H  E  N  S  I  O  N

01-Complete:

*_______________is the Festival of the Steel Phallus.

a)Kanamara Matsuri        b)Kawasaki        c)Mikoshi        d)Kanayama       e)Japan

02-The word “prostitutes” may be replaced by ___________________.

a)whores      b)dicks      c)beavers       d)cunts      e)snatches

03-The central theme of the event is (are) ___________________.

a)candies     b)vegetables     c)illustrations     d)decorations     e)the cock

04-In the last paragraph there are ___________regular verbs.

a)two     b)three     c)four     d)five      e)six

05-Check the correct sentence according to the text:

a)The festival is  a tourist attraction since 1997

b)Basil Hall Chamberlain is a blacksmith

c)In Kawasaki, every woman has a demon inside.

d)A blacksmith broke the demon’s teeth

e)A blacksmith assisted the young woman

06-A blacksmith came to the young woman’s ______________.

a)wedding     b)aid     c)delivery      d)festival      e)despair