#あばれ祭り Abare Festival
あばれ祭（あばれまつり）は、石川県鳳珠郡能登町宇出津（うしつ）で、毎年7月第1金曜日および土曜日に行われるキリコ祭り。あばれ祭を皮切りに能登のあちこちで夏祭りが始まります。
350年前、この一帯に疫病が流行った時に、京都の祇園社から牛頭天王を勧請してきて盛大な祭りをしました。すると、大きな蜂が現れ人々を次々と刺し、蜂に刺された人は病気がたちまち治ったため、あの蜂は神様の化身にちがいないと感謝し、大きなキリコを作って「大泥棒ボー蜂やさいた」とはやしたて町内を練り歩いたのが始まりとされています。
キリコには各町内の子供たちが多数乗り、子供や若い女性が鉦を鳴らし太鼓を叩く。
初日には、能登町役場前に並んだ大松明の周りを高さ７ｍ、４０数本のキリコが火粉の中を乱舞します。
2日目では、２基の御輿を海や川、火の中に何度も投げ込まれます。この神輿は、壊れれば壊れるほど神様は喜とされ、このキリコや神輿が暴れまわる様子が「あばれ祭り」という名前の由来になっています。
Abare Festival, reputedly is the most 'fierce' festival not only for Japanese but also for non-Japanese, who often call it "the Fire & Violence Festival". Visitors can watch kiriko, Noto’s unique illuminated lantern floats, and mikoshi, portable shrines, being carried through the streets, eat festival foods, hear taiko drums and see many people dressed in their summer festival wear, Yukata.
The festival is held on the first Friday through Saturday of July every year as the first Noto kiriko festivals, which are held all over Noto, Ishikawa from July to September. Abare festival is dedicated to Yasaka Shrine in Ushitsu.
On the first night, Friday, of the festivities the Mikoshi and about 40 Kiriko make their way through the streets of Ushitsu and finally gather in front of the city hall to weave around large bonfires resting on the top of large poles. Groups of men and women work together to carry the large wooden Kiriko while children sit atop it playing drums and flutes.
On the second night, Saturday, the Kirikos once again weave their way around town but the main attraction is the wooden Mikoshis that are carried down the main street to be blessed. The men carrying the Mikoshi continually thrash it against the ground and grind it into the asphalt of the street, doing their best to break it as much as possible.
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