Ainu bear-sacrifice festival; Iomante
Refers specifically to the Ainu ritual of sending a bear's spirit back to the divine world. Also known by the Ainu term イオマンテ.
See also: イオマンテ
The bear festival is a traditional Ainu ceremony.
I observed a reenactment of the bear festival in Hokkaido.
Standard spelling for the Ainu bear-sacrifice festival.
Abbreviated spelling, also used.
Compound of 熊 (くま, 'bear') and 祭り (まつり, 'festival'). The term is a Japanese description of the Ainu ritual.