New Year is the most joyful holiday for all peoples. It allows you to take stock of the past year, as well as recall all the pleasant things that have happened over the past 12 months. About how the New Year celebration in Japan, this article will tell.
A bit of history
For many millennia, Japan has lived in isolation from the whole world. Only in the Meiji era, which began during the reign of Emperor Mutsuhito, the Gregorian calendar was introduced there, and the countdown of the new year began from January 1. For the first time to celebrate this event in the European manner, the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun began in 1873. Prior to this, the New Year in Japan was celebrated on the Chinese lunar calendar. During this period, the holiday did not have an exact date and, as a rule, fell on the first days of spring. Although more than 150 years have passed since then, and today many people who have never been to the Land of the Rising Sun ask what New Year in Japan is Chinese or European.
Features
New Year in Japan is a public holiday. Most of the country's institutions and private companies do not work between December 29 and January 3. In the pre-war period, New Year was celebrated in Japan throughout January. Later, the entire first week of this month was inactive - matzo-no-teach. However, now only 3 days are allotted for rest and entertainment in the family circle.
At the New Year in Japan, the celebration traditions are a kind of mixture of European and local rites, known long ago for how Western influences penetrated the Land of the Rising Sun.
Over the past 150 years, a wide variety of games, rituals and ceremonies have appeared. In addition, stable traditions have developed over this time, which the Japanese are trying to observe with their inherent scrupulousness and punctuality.
How to celebrate the New Year in Japan: "Prelude"
Preparations for the celebration begin long before the last sheet of the calendar is torn off. Already in mid-November, the season of New Year's fairs begins, at which they literally offer everything - from souvenirs, jewelry and clothes, to a variety of ritual items that are necessary for decorating the home and serving the festive table. As in other countries, before the New Year, every Japanese housewife is immersed in household chores and worries. She needs to restore order and cleanliness in her home, buy gifts for relatives and friends, and dress up a cadomatsu.
Preparation for the holiday
To create the appropriate mood, at the very beginning of winter, tall and colorfully discharged spruces are installed on the squares and city streets, as well as in supermarkets. In Japan, it has long been forbidden to cut living trees for these purposes, so only artificial ones are used everywhere.
An indispensable attribute of the holiday is Santa Claus, which for residents of the Land of the Rising Sun has long been a favorite character. In addition, cheerful Christmas melodies can be heard everywhere and trays from which thematic cards are sold are depicted everywhere, with the image of the symbols of the coming year.
The climax of preparation for the holiday falls on December 31. In Japan, it is known as oomisoka. It is believed that on this day you need to finish all preparations for the New Year, have time to pay off your debts, clean up the houses and prepare traditional holiday dishes.
The main symbol of the Japanese New Year
Kadomatsu is a traditional decoration designed to be placed both in the courtyard of the house and inside the home. Initially, for this purpose, the Japanese used a pine, which was considered a symbol of longevity.
Today, Kadomatsu is created from 3 required parts:
- bamboo, which symbolizes the wish of health and success to children;
- plum, meaning the hope that they will become strong and reliable helpers to their parents;
- pine, which expresses the wish of longevity to the whole family.
The whole composition is bandaged with a straw rope, retinue from this year's crop. According to an ancient Japanese legend, the New Year's deity settles in Kadomatsu, which becomes his sanctuary during the holiday.
They install Kadomatsu on December 13, because according to tradition, this day is happy, and they remove it on January 4, 7 or 14.
If the festive "trees" are placed in front of the house, then they use two compositions at once, between which they hang a rope woven from straw.
Talismans
To celebrate the New Year in Japan, in accordance with tradition, it is recommended to purchase:
- Dull hamaimi arrows with white plumage, designed to protect the house from evil forces and all sorts of troubles.
- Takarabune, which are boats with rice and other "treasures" on which seven Japanese gods of fortune travel.
- Kumade, reminiscent of a beech rake, whose name translates as "bear paw." Such a talisman is designed to "rake" their happiness.
In addition, with each purchase made on the eve of the New Year, visitors are presented with an animal figurine that will "reign" over the next 12 months.
Daruma
Such a doll, reminiscent of a tumbler, is made of wood or papier-mâché and represents a Buddhist deity. A daruma has no eyes. This is done on purpose. One eye of daurma is painted by its owner. At the same time, he must make a cherished desire, which he wants to be fulfilled in the coming year. The second eye may appear far from every daruma. It is painted only if the desired desire is fulfilled within a year. In this case, the doll is set in the most honorable place in the house. If the desire does not come true, then the daurma is burned along with the other attributes of the New Year.
Christmas
Those who are interested, as the New Year is celebrated in Japan, will probably be interested to know that in the Land of the Rising Sun they are even more magnificent in preparing for the holiday, which is celebrated on December 25th. It does not have state status and is called in the Japanese manner Kurisumasu. Since Christians make up about 1% of the population in Japan, Christmas in this country has no religious background. For most of the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun, it has become an occasion to spend a romantic evening with your family and thank your other half with expensive and pleasant gifts.
Concert programs in restaurants, arranged on December 25, are very popular, tickets for which are recommended to be ordered in a few weeks.
Corporate parties
For most residents of the Land of the Rising Sun, work comes first in life. An unbreakable tradition is the custom of celebrating this holiday with colleagues. Any Japanese company organizes bonenkai or an old-year oblivion party for employees. They celebrate it directly at work or rent a restaurant for this purpose. Only this evening, once a year, the boundaries between subordinates and leaders are erased and no one is punished for disrespect or familiarity with the authorities.
There is also a tradition of giving gifts to superiors or seibo. The cost of such offerings is clearly regulated and determined by the rank of the person to whom he is presented. Gifts are usually ordered ahead of time in special departments of any store or supermarket from early December. They are packed and delivered on the appointed day, usually during the first week of January.
How to celebrate New Year in Japan
A few hours before January 1, residents of the Land of the Rising Sun take a bath and put on a beautiful kimono. According to the old custom, children under 12 should be dressed up in new clothes.
Of particular importance to the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun is the New Year's meal. It begins on the evening of December 31 and passes calmly and decently, since nothing should distract people from thoughts about the future.
The Japanese treat the New Year as a religious holiday, so they reserve places in Shinto and Buddhist temples in advance. It is interesting that along with the sanctuaries, where anyone can go, there are also temples where you will have to pay a round sum at the entrance.
If the Russians celebrate the New Year with a chime, then for the Japanese, its coming marks the sound of bells. In total, the clergy make 108 hits. It is believed that with every stroke various human vices go away, and each participant in the ceremony, already cleansed and renewed, enters the next year.
Gods of happiness
When the New Year comes, in Japan, by tradition, all people go out to meet the dawn. It is believed that at these moments seven gods of happiness sail into the country on a magic ship: Daikoku-sama (luck), Fukurokuju-sama (benevolence), Dzurodzin-sama (longevity), Banton-sama (friendliness), Ebisu-sama (sincerity) , Bisamon, ten-sama (virtue), Hotei-sama (generosity).
Knock Knock! Who's there?
The first of January is one of the most stressful days for Japanese post, as its employees have to deliver a huge number of holiday cards on this day. It is estimated that every resident of the Land of the Rising Sun on January 1 receives approximately 40 postcards. Given that the population of the Japanese islands is 127 million people, it becomes clear what kind of titanic labor falls to the share of postmen. By the way, on the first of January, in the families of the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun, it is customary to scan mail in the morning, and compare the list of received cards with the list of those sent. This is done in order to quickly send a reciprocal congratulation, since leaving unanswered such correspondence is considered bad form.
How the Japanese spend the first of January
On the morning of the first day of the New Year, residents of Japan go to Shinto shrines. Shintoism welcomes the joys of real life, so in front of the temples of this religion on the occasion of the holiday you can see the traditional masu glasses with sake, intended for parishioners. Before using the treats, believers perform an important ritual and receive sacred fire, setting fire to the medicinal potion of Okera Mairi. Rising smoke expels evil spirits from homes and protects those present from illnesses and troubles. After that, a flock of Shinto temples ignites their straw ropes from the sacred fire. Then, people carry them to their homes in order to put butsudan on the family altar or to kindle for good the first bonfire in the new year.
In the second half of the first day of the New Year in Japan (photo of festive illuminations see above), local residents go on visits to relatives and friends. Sometimes such visits are limited to the fact that guests simply leave business cards with the concierge on a specially exposed tray.
Fortunetelling
At the end of the service in a Shinto shrine, believers buy there tickets with predictions called omikuji. They believe that what is written on these cards is sure to be fulfilled in the coming year. The temples of Meiji Jingu, Kawasaki Daisi and Narita-san Shinsenji are especially popular among the Japanese for performing the ritual of the first prayer. It is estimated that more than 3 million people visited each of these shrines between January 1 and 3, inclusively.
January 2
The second day of the first month in the Land of the Rising Sun is called New Year's Day. By tradition, ordinary citizens can visit the imperial palace and see the Mikado along with other representatives of the ruling dynasty. The royal persons on the day after the New Year in Japan (date - January 2) perform the Ippan Sang ceremony. The emperor and his family several times go to the balcony of his palace to accept New Year's greetings.
Now you know what date the New Year is in Japan, and how it is celebrated, therefore, once in the Land of the Rising Sun, you will not find yourself in an awkward situation caused by ignorance of local customs.