Happy New Year!

Ringing in the new year is a huge celebration here in Okinawa. They have several festivals around the island and many people visit a shrine for the 1st visit of the year. We ventured out to Shuri Castle, which is a reconstructed castle, close to the capital city of Naha. They had many performances and a traditional New Years Day ceremony....we will have to catch the ceremony next year because staying up until midnight was way too much for some people in our family :)
The traditional costumes that are worn during the performances are beautiful, the colors are so vibrant and the performers are very talented. Enjoy!