お祭り
おまつり · omatsuri · JLPT N4 · noun
festival
🏮🎆 o (polite) + matsuri: from matsuru, to worship or enshrine a god
Japanese festivals began as Shinto rites honouring a local deity, so the noun matsuri comes straight from the verb matsuru, to worship. The o- in front is the same polite prefix as in ocha (tea) and osake.
祭 — hand 又 holding meat 月 (肉) + altar 示
Originally a pictograph showing a hand (又) offering a piece of meat (月, from 肉) onto an altar (示), depicting a ritual sacrifice. The meaning extended from 'sacrifice' to 'ceremony' or 'festival'. As a surname read Zhài, it refers to an ancient state.