JP Thanks horse festival Iwate

Dozens of horses adorned in colorful decorations and bells paraded in a festival marking the start of early summer in northern Japan.

People of Iwate Prefecture staged the traditional "Chagu Chagu Umakko" horse festival every year at the end of the rice-planting season to thank the animals for their help. The event is believed to have begun centuries ago. French residents from Kyoto participated in the event for the first time.