Belatedly

Happy New Year!

We look forward to working with you in the New Year.

 

I apologize for not being able to update this blog.

I had a slight back injury at the end of the year, and after the new year began, I was in a very difficult state of health, but I am back on track.

I have been feeling keenly that this is what is called a “bad year”.

Putting aside for the moment what a “bad year” is, how did you spend your New Year's Eve? I was relaxing at home with my family. I think I have written about the New Year's holiday in my previous blog, but it seems that there are many different ways to celebrate New Year's Eve depending on where you live. How do you celebrate New Year's Eve in your area? If you have a chance, please let me know.

 

Now, I would like to write about the “bad luck age” mentioned earlier.

The “bad luck age” is the age at which many bad lucks are said to befall people in Japan and other countries. There is no scientific basis for it, and although it is said to be derived from Yin-Yang Dao, the source is ambiguous. It is found in books written in the Heian period (794-1185), and is a custom that has been strongly believed in since ancient times. As explained in the article, the origin of this custom is not known, and there is no scientific basis, but it is a kind of superstition that says that physical discomfort or some other unpleasant thing may occur at this age. However, it is true that there are many people around me who experience some negative events during the bad years. Perhaps our predecessors may have taught us that this age group is prone to such things based on the rule of thumb that people have accumulated up to now as “bad luck years.

Charms to ward off bad luck

Are there any folklore or superstitions about “bad years” in your area? I would be happy to hear about it sometime.

 

Well, that's all for now...

 

See you next time.