Aoi Matsuri (Hollyhock Festival)

The festival's main event features a procession of beautifully outfitted ox drawn carts accompanied by hundreds of people in Heian-period dress. Leaving the Old Imperial Palace (Kyoto Gosho) in the morning, the procession winds its way north, stopping around noon at Shimogamo Shrine and then heading on to arrive late in the afternoon at the Kamigamo Shrine. The Hollyhock festival is one of Kyoto's three major annual events. It dates back to the sixth century, when the hollyhock was believed to have the power to ward off lightning and earthquakes.