Kanamara Matsuri, also known as the Festival of the Steel Phallus, has been held in the Japanese city of Kawasaki every year since 1969 (nice). But it's more than just a bit of fun, with as many as 50,000 traveling each year to raise awareness and funds for local HIV charities.
Held at the Kanayama Shrine on the first Sunday of April each year, this year's festival also happened to fall on International Day of Trans Visibility, with local trans activists joining in the festivities.
The festival is rooted in legend, with folklore stating that between 1600-1800 a sharp-toothed demon lived inside a local woman’s vagina, castrating several men on their wedding nights.
It is believed that a local blacksmith defeated the evil demon by forging an iron dildo large enough to break the demon’s teeth.
A statue in honour of the life-saving dildo was then erected at the Kanayama Shrine, with locals visiting under the belief that it would protect them from sexually transmitted diseases.
The statue is now paraded through the crowded streets as royalty, with young and old getting in on the fun.
Not sure about you, but I've just added Kanamara Matsuri to my bucket list.
