Bullfinch Exchange Festival (Usokae) is a traditional event where the believers carry out a ritual struggle between the good and the evil forces. The events are held in Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine in Fukuoka Prefecture.
Every year, in January’s evenings, groups of believers gather in the shrine. They carry a wooden carvings of bullfinches (a red chest songbird) called in Japanese Kiuso or in short Uso. In Japanese uso is a double meaning word; the name of the bird and also lie.
The ceremony begins at dark; the wooden birds are transferred between the hands and the participants. The believers hope to get the golden bird that the priest had added to the other common birds.
Due to the double meaning of the word uso, the common bullfinches symbols the evil and the golden bullfinches symbols the good.
Those who get the golden bird, believe that the evil was sent away from them and in return they got the good the truth.
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