Maggots: Tiny, wriggling, white gods of Toyokawa - MSN-Mainichi Daily News

Headline of the day: "Maggots: Tiny, wriggling, white gods of Toyokawa"

Probably the story of the day as well: "Toyokawa is probably the only place in the world where maggots are revered as gods, according to Cyzo (May). Every year, the Aichi Prefecture city hosts the Ujimushi Matsuri, which literally means 'Maggot Festival.' The festival involves gathering about a dozen middle-aged and elderly men and dressing them up as feudal era peasants, and plied with copious quantities of alcohol to the point where they barely realize what they're doing. Once the old geezers are totally blotto, they're sent out to dance in the streets of Toyokawa. At a certain point, the drunken old codgers are told to lie down on the ground and begin writhing around like maggots."

"Toyokawa has long worshipped maggots as gods, because from ancient times Shinto has also included amongst its divinities Benjojin and Secchin-sama, both of who are toilet gods," equivalent to Sheryl Crow today.