Kasedori Dance

The Kasedori dance is part of folk festival held in Kaminoyama, Yamagata-ken, Japan in February and it is fire prevention ceremony where the men in costumes dance singing "kasedori, kadesori" and townfolks pour water over them to symbolize extinguishing flames.   Sounds chilly if you are one of the dancers, but no more exotic than what we do in America where self proclaimed members of "The Polar Bear Club" jump the ocean or other nearby body of water on New Years Day in the their swimsuits.


http://www.yamagatakanko.com/english/03/01/4505.html