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Aoi matsuri
The Aoi matsuri, said to be the world's oldest surviving festival, takes place at the Shimogamo and Kamigamo shrines in Kyoto on May 15th. It is said to have been observed for the first time 1,400 years ago when, according to legend, the Kyoto people celebrated the abatement of a serious flood. Branches of a plant with heart-shaped leaves (aoi) are carried during the procession, hence the name of the festival. The procession is very beautiful; the participants wear costumes in the style of the Heian period and a feature of the procession is a large, wisteria-decorated carriage drawn by black oxen.