New Year's blessing at Daijingu Temple

The New Year's Ceremony at the Daijingu Temple of Hawaii in Nuuanu includes blessings offered to both humans and pets. A popular annual tradition, even in the rain, it draws as many as 4,000 people seeking blessings, omamori (amulets) and omikuji (fortunes). The Shinto temple was established in 1958 and is today led by Rev. Akihiro Okada.

I've posted an album of photos on Flickr:

https://flickr.com/photos/hawaii/albums/72177720295690261

And a video montage of scenes from this year's ceremony on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hlTZLchgDw