The spring festival of Suwa Shrine in the Nameishi district, is held on January 17th. The festival is known as 'Shishikui Matsuri', the Boar Eating Festival. The festival is said to have originated from the time when a wild boar had been destroying crops in the area. The deity of the festival, Takeminakata-no-kami, killed the wild boar with a sickle and gave its meat to the villagers. The festival is held in Nameishi Honmura, Kiyomatsu and Shiohama districts. Each district chooses a leader, called a 'Setto' to take part in the festival. During the ritual a wild boar is offered to the shrine (nowadays a stuffed boar is offered). Following the ritual, a young man wearing a loincloth sets up a long bamboo pole with a boar's head in a pond in the center of the shrine. He then goes to the house of each Setto, puts up a hanging scroll in the tokonoma (the special alcove in a Japanese house) and makes offerings. Then, the old and new Settos sit side by side and exchange cups of sake. Sashimi is served on a platter, which is picked up with chopsticks by attendants and placed in the palms of the Settos' hands. Two cups of sake are then poured into a bowl and drunk in one gulp. At the end of the ceremony, the following year's Setto is handed a scroll and a box of documents. This is called the 'Touwatashi' and concludes the ritual. After the ceremony the participants meet once more, at this time a soup containing wild boar meat is always served.