Namahage　なまはげ

An event that takes place in Oga, Akita prefecture known as Namahage is celebrated on New Year’s Eve which everyone participates in. For the Oga people, Namahage is a visiting god that warns of laziness, drives away the troubles of the house, and brings health, field mountain fruits and seafood. Young people in the village dress up as Namahage and go around the houses in the area, shouting “Any babies crying?”. On November 29, 2018, Namahage in Oga was registered as a UNESCO’s  Intangible Cultural Heritage as one of the “Visiting Gods: Gods of Masks and Costumes”.

男鹿のナマハゲは、大晦日の晩、男鹿半島全域で行われる行事です。集落の青年たちがナマハゲに扮して、「泣く子はいねがー」などと大声で叫びながら地域の家々を巡ります。男鹿の人々にとってナマハゲは怠け心を戒め、家の厄を祓い、無病息災・田畑の実り・山の幸・海の幸をもたらす来訪神です。平成30（2018）年11月29日に、男鹿のナマハゲは「来訪神：仮面・仮装の神々」の一つとしてユネスコ無形文化遺産に登録されました。