Hidden Ceremony
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The Hidden Ceremony (陰祭, kagematsuri) is a ritual performed to placate the Hellish Abyss, during times when there are no twins available for sacrifice. The sacrificial participants in this ritual are called Kusabi and are usually outsiders/visitors to the village.
Preparation
Visitors are captured and held within a prison cell within the Kurosawa House. The prospective Kusabi then goes through the Cutting Ritual. Those that survive, and don't die along the way to the Hellish Abyss, participate in the Hidden Ceremony.
The Ritual
The still bound, badly bleeding, and severely injured Kusabi is carried down through the caverns to the Hellish Abyss. There, the Kusabi, while still alive and breathing, is lowered down into the Abyss.
Result
The Abyss is appeased until a proper Crimson Sacrifice can be offered.
Alternative Names
The Hidden Ceremony has also been referred to as:
The Japanese name for the Hidden Ceremony, kagematsuri, is an established word referring to a minor festival held in place of a larger one that does not happen every year. The same word is used for the Shadow Festival, a festival observed in the area around Minakami Village, which did not involve a sacrifice.