What is the fox’s wedding?
“Kitsune no yomeiri” refers to mysterious phenomena said to be foxes holding a wedding procession. It is used mainly in two senses: a “sun shower,” when rain falls although the sun is shining, and rows of mysterious lights called fox fires seen at night in the mountains and fields, lined up like a procession.
Sun showers and the fox’s wedding
Light rain falling from a clear, sunny sky has long been called “the fox’s wedding.” It is said that the foxes make it rain to keep people away so that their wedding will not be seen, or that foxes make it rain to trick people. Sun showers are a real weather phenomenon, occurring when raindrops from rain falling far away are carried by the wind, or just after a rain cloud has passed.
The procession of fox fires
Stories from many regions also tell of people seeing many lights flickering in a row along the foot of the mountains at night, like a wedding procession carrying lanterns. Explanations for such fox fires include the lights of distant houses and effects of refracted light. In the Tsugawa area of Aga, Niigata Prefecture, the “Tsugawa Fox Wedding Procession,” based on a local fox wedding legend, is held every year and draws many visitors. The tradition is closely tied to the legends of the yoko (fox spirit).
