Going down to the beach: Part 2

(Continuing from last posting)

Tonight's  the night.

 The girl was so determined to find out who he was.  So, just as he leaned toward her to give a good- night kiss, she secretly put a needle and thread on the back of his collar so that she could track him down afterward. The man left her house, and headed toward the nearby deep forest. The girl tailed her misterious lover.

After a long trekking, the girl saw the man entering the cave. She hurried to the cave, chasing after him. The minute she stepped into the deep darkness, terror struck her to breathless.  She couldn’t believe her eyes. Her eyes were fixed on a huge snake, coiled up, its yellow eyes glaring in the dark cave. It had a needle on the back of its head.

”Oh my god... My man is Majimun (monster)! “

Overwhelmed by horror, the girl screamed and skedaddled back to the village. She cried and begged her parents for help. They got freaked out with their dauther's tale, so they took her to a Yuta or village exorcist.

“You are pregnant with his baby.”, said the yuta to the girl.

“Hurry to the beach now, and wash your private part with the seawater. That’ll work.”

The girl rushed down to the beach, immersed herself into the seawater. She did just as she was told by the yuta. And then, what she saw was, lots of baby snakes crawling out of her….. underneath…underneath if you know what I mean... (Ew!)

At that moment, the girl realized that she was all cleaned up, never able to get back together with the man who she believed to be her lover…

From olden times in Okinawa, the sea is where women purify themselves and wish for happiness and health.  In other words, the ocean is a very sacred place for Okinawan locals.  In fact, during the certain days of  the year, we're not supposed to go into the water. Arrays of  rituals and festivals are also performed on the beach throughout the year.  

Okinawan people have long lived with the blessing of the ocean. The sea offers not only the harvest of natural produce, but also the source of imagination and protection to our lives. I hope we could leave this precious Okinawan ocean to the future generations, and they will receive the fruit of the ocean to their lives.


Written by Niki and Nariko