Nagoshi no harae 夏越の祓) Summer Purification at the Kitano Tenman gū (北野天満宮) in Kyoto!

Today was Nagoshi-no-harae (夏越の祓) or "Summer Purification" at the Kitano Tenman-gū (北野天満宮) in Kyoto! On the last day of the sixth or seventh month (called nagoshi harae or minazuki harae), worshipers at the shrine pass through the ring as an act of purification from misdeeds (tsumi), impurities (kegare), or bad luck. The Shinto priests are praying a "Purification Prayer" followed by a Shinto priest leading the worshippers in a 8 shaped like form through the Chinowa.