Traditional “Naked Man Festival” comes to an end because apparently people no longer want to get naked in public.
In a shocking turn of events, organizers of the centuries-old “Naked Man Festival” announced its end due to decreasing population in the area. The festival, also known as Hadaka Matsuri, was celebrated around Japan and has attracted huge crowds for almost 1,000 years.
The festival – which involved participants donning nothing but loincloths before parading around the streets and even climbing over each other in the pursuit of sacred sticks – has been a mainstay of Japanese culture for so long that it is practically as venerable as the country’s ancient temples themselves.
Yet despite the festival’s illustrious history, organizers of the Hadaka Matsuri lamented the fact that the dwindling population in the area meant that there simply weren’t enough people willing to strip down to their birthday suits in public anymore. “It’s a shame,” one official said in a speech. “The festival is an important part of our cultural heritage, but it’s just not possible to keep it going any longer.”
This news comes as a blow to fans of the event, who will no doubt be lamenting the fact that they will no longer have the chance to watch a bunch of naked guys run around in public while gripping sticks in their teeth.
The end of the festival is sure to be felt keenly by the local economy as well. According to estimates, the Hadaka Matsuri brought in significant revenue for businesses in the surrounding area, with vendors selling everything from sachets of sake to commemorative t-shirts for attendees.
But for those who may be mourning the loss of the festival, fear not – there are plenty of other ways to enjoy public nudity. Maybe try visiting a nudist beach instead? Or maybe just stay home and watch Naked and Afraid on TV. Either way, life goes on.
In the end, the cancellation of the Naked Man Festival is a sobering reminder that not everything lasts forever. But despite the festival’s end, we can still take solace in the fact that for nearly a thousand years, people were willing to humiliate themselves in public for the sake of tradition.
