Oriental culture festival Higan in Minsk

The 12th youth festival Higan was one of the most impressive events of the Japanese Autumn in Belarus 2017. The festival gathered fans of comic books, computer games, street fashion, music, and other modern trends, which are popular in Eastern Asia countries (Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan) in Minsk on 7 October. By the way, since 2016 the Belarusian festival also acts as an elimination round for EuroCosplay 2017 in London.

Higan in Japanese means equinox, the astronomical change of two seasons (summer and autumn). The name is not accidental: in modern day and age it embodies the continuity of the traditional culture and the modern one. As a rule, the festival focuses on scenic cosplay – costumed acting, during which every contestant tries to represent the character he or she portrays as closely as possible.

Apart from traditional runway walks in various categories (group, single, game, lolitas, chibi) guests of this year’s festival were treated to an intensive program: scenic productions and short stories, dancing and singing covers, exhibitions of paintings, drawings, and photos, art installations with jointed dolls, a gaming zone with tabletop games and video consoles, a fair of books and comics, souvenirs, and decorations…

Fanciful anime characters, the most original performances, and vivid emotions from spectators are in our photo report from the Higan 2017 festival.

Photo: Oksana Manchuk