The Fujisaki Hachimangu festival got started yesterday with lion dancing (shishimai; 獅子舞), a 400-year-old tradition. Then, the lions went around biting (or pretending to bite) people. Getting bitten by a lion is considered to be good luck. The idea seems to be that the lion is eating any evil spirits that might be attached to you – kind of like a monkey picking bugs off another monkey for lunch. But, some kids who got bitten weren’t buying it. ;)
Horses were not involved in this part of the festival. The parade in which the decorated horses will appear is Sunday. I think that some readers of this page might have enjoyed viewing the lion dancing. Sorry I wasn’t able to give you a proper heads-up.
