| New Year's Holidays | |
|
Shogatsu (New Year's holidays) is a time when everybody takes a few days off to celebrate the arrival of the new year. It is often called oshogatsu with the prefix "o" to make it sound polite. Many people who are away from home, return to spend time with their family. Just like Christmas, the Japanese are looking forward to shogatsu. Here is the song titled "oshogatsu".
| Mou ikutsu neru to oshogasu |
| Oshogasu ni wa tako agete |
| Koma o mawashite asobimashou |
| Hayaku koi koi oshogatsu |
| How many more nights to sleep until New Year's Day |
| In the New Year's holidays, let's fly a kite |
| Let's play with a spinning top |
| Come, come quickly, New Year's Day |
To prepare for shogatsu, everybody gets busy doing a big year-end cleaning (oosouji), setting New Year's decorations (kadomatsu or shimekazari) and preparing New Year's dishes (osechi ryori). On New Year's Eve (oomisoka), it is customary to eat toshikoshi-soba and wait up to hear the watch-night bell (joya no kane) rung at the temples. It starts ringing at just before midnight on New Year's Eve and continues into the early hours of New Year's Day, 108 times in all. According to Buddhism, a human being has 108 evil thoughts. The ringing of the bells is to expel these evil thoughts.
During New year's holidays, most people visit a shrine or a temple (hatsumoude) to pray for health and happiness. The famous shrines or temples get very crowded. Although kimono are not worn in daily life any more, many people wear them in shogatsu.
Flying kites (takoage), spinning tops (koma-mawashi) or playing Japanese battledore (hanetsuki) are traditional games for children, though it is now less popular. Children are given otoshidama from parents and relatives. In most cases, it is money placed in special little envelopes. (otoshidama-bukuro)
Kakizome (the first calligraphic writing) is a traditional event held on January 2nd. People write auspicious words or phrases with a brush. Elementary schools and junior high schools have kakizome competitions annually.
Hatsuyume is first dream of the New Year. It is said the good dreams are "Ichi-fuji, ni-taka, san-nasubi (Mt. Fuji at the first, hawk at the second, eggplant at the third)". It is believed that if you have these auspicious dreams, you will have a good year.
Check these sites to learn more about crossing years (toshikoshi) and oshogatsu.
Previous Features Where Do I Begin
