Kyoto Gion Festival（日本京都祗园祭）

    -The ancient capital of Japan, Kyoto （京都） is taken back in time during the Gion festival （祗园祭） by Yasaka shrine¹ (八阪神社, gion was the old name of this shrine.) Gion festival is one of the biggest festivals in Japan.
    This Japanese festival begins July 1st and lasts until July 31st. At this time, there are many street vendors² with games and Japanese festival food. Also, many people who go to this festival wear yukata (浴衣) and geta （木屐）, which are traditional Japanese outfits³. It is said that the summer of Kyoto begins with the Gion Matsuri （祗园祭）. It is a traditional summer festivity.
    Gion festival was started in 869 A.D when a bad plague （瘟疫） spread through Kyoto. In the first festival, young men carried numbers of wooden floats. It was a divine intervention⁴ to stop the plague. The plague soon ended, and this event became a popular festival. In the Edo Era （江户时代）, the current form of the decorated floats appeared in the festival.
    There are many events held during this festival, but the highlights are Yoi-yama （宵山祭） on the 16th and Yamahoko-junko （山牟巡行） on the 17th. At Yoi-yama, people open the doors of their houses to show their treasured old folding screens. Yamahoko-junko is the parade of colorful floats （彩车） through downtown Kyoto. The floats are pulled through the streets by teams of men dressed in traditional costumes. Each of the large floats carries musicians.
    There are two kinds of floats: yama （山） and hook （牟）. Yama are smaller floats (weight: 1.2 ton - 1.6 ton, height: about 6m) and carried by people on their shoulders. Hoko are giant floats (weight: 4.8 ton - 12 ton, height: about 25m) on large wooden wheels and pulled by people. There are 32 floats in the parade: 25 yama floats and 7 hoko floats.
    The floats are decorated with tapestries⁵ or fabrics⁶ from Nishijin （西阵）, Kyoto. Many of them were imported from India, Belgium, Persia, Turkey and other countries in the 15th century.

1 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

2 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

3 outfits   

n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits. 他把承包工程分包给许多小单位。 来自辞典例句
• Some cyclists carry repair outfits because they may have a puncture. 有些骑自行车的人带修理工具，因为他们车胎可能小孔。 来自辞典例句

4 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

5 tapestries   

n.挂毯( tapestry的名词复数 )；绣帷，织锦v.用挂毯（或绣帷）装饰( tapestry的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The wall of the banqueting hall were hung with tapestries. 宴会厅的墙上挂有壁毯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The rooms were hung with tapestries. 房间里都装饰着挂毯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 fabrics   

织物( fabric的名词复数 )； 布； 构造； （建筑物的）结构（如墙、地面、屋顶）：质地

参考例句：

• cotton fabrics and synthetics 棉织物与合成织物
• The fabrics are merchandised through a network of dealers. 通过经销网点销售纺织品。