祇園祭、山鉾巡行中止　日本三大祭り、コロナ影響―京都

　日本三大祭りの一つで、毎年７月に行われる祇園祭のハイライトの山鉾（やまほこ）巡行について、祇園祭山鉾連合会と八坂神社は２０日、新型コロナウイルス感染拡大防止のため中止すると発表した。
　巡行では７月１７日の前祭（さきまつり）と同２４日の後祭（あとまつり）に豪華絢爛（けんらん）な山鉾が京都市内を巡り、沿道には毎年多くの観客が詰め掛ける。
　同連合会の木村幾次郎理事長は「断腸の思い。今こそ疫病退散を願い、祭りを盛大に行うべきだが、新型コロナウイルス拡散防止のためには、大勢の皆さまにご来場いただくことは絶対に避けなければならない」と語った。
　祇園祭は平安時代に流行した疫病を鎮めるため、鉾を立てて災厄が治まるよう祈ったのが起源とされる。巡行中止は阪急電鉄の地下工事で見送りとなった１９６２年以来５８年ぶり。明治時代にはコレラの流行で延期されたこともある。（2020/04/20-17:05）

No Yamahoko float processions will be held in Kyoto's Gion Matsuri Festival, one of the so-called three biggest festivals of Japan, this summer, due to the COVID-19 epidemic, it was announced Monday.
   The float parades, the culmination of the traditional festival in the western Japan city, were scheduled for July 17 and 24. In normal years, many spectators gather alongside the parade courses, a situation that is likely to raise infection risks.
   The cancellation is the first since 1962, when the parades did not take place due to underground work by a train company.
   "We have taken a gut-wrenching decision," said Ikujiro Kimura, head of an organizing group for the Gion festival. "It's exactly the time to pray for the expulsion of plague by holding the festival on a grand scale, but we have to prevent many people from gathering, in order to curb the spread of the new coronavirus."
   The Gion festival's origin is believed to be people praying for the end of an epidemic during the Heian period in Japan in the eighth to 12th century.