Food for Thought: What it means to be a Christian in a non-Christian society - Aomori Nebuta Matsuri

Deeply rooted in their cultural identity, Japanese people participate and enjoy many different matsuris (festivals) across the country. Aomori has its own festival called the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri. The festival is held every year from August 2 to August 7. As one of the biggest and well-known festivals in Japan, the Aomori Nebuta attracts more than two million visitors every year from all over Japan and overseas. The origin of the Aomori Nebuta is unknown, but the Aomori people have been hosting the festival since the eighteenth century. A Nebuta is a gigantic paper lantern in the shape of various people or animals, which traditionally depicts a god or character from old mythical tales. People across the generations participate in the festival in various capacities, from making Nebutas to carrying them during the festival, singing and marching around Aomori City. Even elementary school students make their own small Nebutas at school and play traditional Japanese drums at the festival.

Does the festival sound unchristian to you? I would agree with you. This is not a term paper for a theology class, so I would not perform here a complicated, in-depth theological analysis whether the Aomori Nebuta violates the Second Commandment (Exo. 20:4). However, even without such analysis, it would not be difficult to convince a (conservative, evangelical) Christian that the festival resembles an idol-worship. Then the question becomes – what should Christians in Aomori do about the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri? Should Christians stop participating in the festival? Should Christians ask others to stop participating in the festival if they want to become Christians despite the economical and historical importance of the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri in the Aomori community?

(The Aomori Nebuta Matsuri - Music Demonstration)

In fact, this dilemma exists in various forms and varying scales in the Japanese society. For example, many Christian families struggle to bring their children to their churches on Sundays due to their children’s extracurricular activities at school. Because the Japanese school system does not accommodate people going to church on Sundays (as you would expect), most school extracurricular activities happen on weekends. Because of this conflict, I know some pastor families are adamant that they do not allow their children to participate in school extracurricular activities. Should Christian students stop participating in school activities? Should Christians ask other students to attend Sunday service at church if they want to become Christians at the expense of their school activities?

In Matthew 10:16-20, Jesus said, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” Although no Christians have been arrested in Aomori for their faith, I believe we are in a similar situation as Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:16-20. Christians living in a non-Christian society are like sheep among wolves. We are “arrested” or held by the society, and the society demands us explanation: “What is your stance on the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri?” “What is your opinion about school activities?”

Early Church Fathers faced similar questions when they faced the Roman persecution and even more importantly when they faced the Edict of Milan which eventually stopped the Roman persecution. Interestingly, their choice was to assimilate and blend into the then-existing society. What was the result? Christians started gathering for a regular service on Sundays not on Saturdays. They started celebrating Christmas on December 25. They named the Resurrection Day “Easter,” and the Easter’s heathen image of bunny still remains in churches to this date. On the other hand, Christianity became people’s culture, and the people started to accept it as a norm, perhaps leading more people to Christ than ever before while normalizing Christianity as a legalistic religion. Were our forefathers of faith shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves? Were they obedient to God that not they but the Holy Spirit spoke through them? It may be the question all Christians should ask and meditate, especially in the context of Japan mission.

Taeho