Mabuni Fire and Bell Festival

About

On New Year's Eve, from late at night into the small hours of New Year's Day, people gather at the Okinawa Peace Hall in Mabuni, Itoman. Each participant carries a torch in memory of the war dead to light a great memorial flame, and the bell of peace is rung with hopes for a peace that lasts. Elderly people who survived the war and young people who never knew it remember the victims side by side, each making a personal vow for peace as the year turns. The Okinawa Association holds it every year as one of its memorial events for the war dead and for world peace, seeing it as a symbol of peace and a chance to convey the cruelty of war and the value of peace. Okinawa Prefecture and Itoman City are among its supporters, and Boy Scout and Girl Scout groups in Okinawa lend a hand.

Sources

• OfficialOkinawa Association (Okinawa Peace Hall) www.okinawakyoukai.jp
• OfficialOkinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau (Okinawa Story) www.okinawastory.jp

Last checked: Oct 11, 2026. Event information is based on official announcements, but changes may not always be reflected here. Please check each official website for accurate details.