Shrine In Kyoto Prays For End To Virus Outbreak


Shrine in Kyoto prays for end to virus outbreak

An ancient Shinto shrine in Kyoto City, western Japan, offered a prayer to its deity on Tuesday, hoping for an end to the new coronavirus outbreak.

Kamigamo Shrine is recognized as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. The shrine holds a ritual every year on March 3, the day of the dolls' festival, to pray for health and drive away evil.

The chief priest offered the prayer at the altar, wishing for a quick end to the spread of the coronavirus. Seasonal sweets as well as sprays of peach blossoms, which are believed to offer protection from disease, and magnolia, were among the offerings.

Visitors also watched paper dolls being floated down a stream in the shrine compound -- a traditional practice to pray for health for the year.

A visitor in her 20s said she hopes that the outbreak of the coronavirus will be contained soon. She added that she is taking precautions such as washing her hands after touching handrails on trains.