 Kumano Hongu Taisha Spring Festival, the annual spring festival held 13–15 April every year is not only a quintessential festival of Kumano but also intimately associated with the pilgrimage to Kumano and the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route.On April 13 fathers and their young sons purify themselves in the sacred waters of Yunomine Onsen before walking over the Dainichi-goe section of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route to Oyunohara wearing traditional costumes.The young boys have the character for big on their forehead and are forbidden to touch the ground.