A HAPPY NEW YEAR‼
Happy New Year!
We look forward to working with you again in the New Year.
Now that I have updated this page for two days in a row, how did you celebrate the New Year?
In Japan, the month of January is called "Sho-Gatsu" because the Chinese character for "Sho" means the beginning of the year or the beginning of the new year. Since ancient times, it has been an important day to welcome and celebrate the new god of the year with the whole family. It is said that Sho-Gatsu is one of the oldest events in Japan. And January 1 is called "Gannjitsu" (first day of the year). In the first place, Gannjitsu was originally a day on the night of the full moon of the New Year to welcome the New Year (year) gods, thank them for a safe and bountiful harvest of the old (last) year, and pray for the same in the new year. This day falls on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in the old calendar, and is said to be a remnant of the lunar-solar calendar (Tempo calendar) that was in use until 1876.
Such is the case today. How do you celebrate the New Year in your area? In Japan, people go to shrines and temples for Hatsumode (New Year's visit to a shrine or temple), draw omikuji to predict their fortune for the year ahead, or gather with relatives to eat osechi dishes and ozoni together while handing out New Year's dumplings to children. I have a feeling that traditional events have become more casual, but I guess that is just the way of the times. By the way, some of you may be wondering what "Osechi" and "Oshidama" mean, so let me explain.
Osechi ryori" was originally a dish offered to the gods on seasonal festivals (Sekku), but since New Year's Day is the most important festival of the year, the term "Osechi ryori" has come to refer to New Year's dishes. Since ancient times, it has been believed that on New Year's Day, the "Toshigami-sama," or New Year's gods, come to each household to bring happiness for the year. The Toshigami are ancestral spirits, gods of rice paddies and mountains. Osechi ryori is an offering to the New Year Gods, and is filled with foods from the mountains and the sea, with prayers for a bountiful harvest, prosperity of offspring, and the safety and health of the family. Ozoni is a dish made to receive the blessings of the rice cakes offered to the New Year God. The rice cake, in which the spirit of the god of the year resides, is stewed with vegetables, chicken, seafood, and other ingredients. It has a rich regional flavor, and each family has its own unique taste.
Next, the origin of the New Year's gift comes from the word "otoshi-tama" (御歳魂). The word "otoshi-tama" refers to the round mirror-shaped rice cake offered to the god of the year (nengami) at New Year's. After the offering, the rice cake was divided among family members. The rice cake is also considered to be the life of the Toshigami, and there is a religious aspect to praying for a safe and happy New Year by sharing it with family members. In the Muromachi period (1336-1573), there was a custom among court nobles to give each other gifts to celebrate the New Year. In modern times, goods were sometimes given as New Year's gifts, such as fans for commodities, or other items appropriate to one's occupation. It is thought that the Edo period (1603-1867), when merchant families gave cash to their servants as pocket money, and the Showa 30s (1930s), when people in urban areas began to distribute money as New Year's gifts. The origin of the practice of giving New Year's dama to children was that it was given from superiors to subordinates, such as from the patriarch of a family to his/her family members. Gradually, the practice of giving New Year's dama to other adults decreased, and it seems to have changed as something given from adults to children.
As you can see, New Year's Day is often spent with family in Japan.
I tried to write a blog about New Year's Day, but there was not much to write about than I expected, and it turned out to be more explanatory than I expected. Now that I have written this much, I think the New Year will be a sleeping New Year. How was your New Year's holiday? I hope to hear from you someday.
See you next time.