The three-day New Year holiday is a very special time in Japan, a time of solemn prayers and joyous greetings. While New Year's Day is a holiday in many parts of the world, the occastion has a unique significance to the Japanese, who take the opportunity to begin anew many aspects of their lives.
New Year is regarded in Japan as an auspicious occasion. As such, it is filled with traditional activities which, it is hoped, will result in a more successful year. The people particularly observe the age-old Japanese custom of not carrying-over any debts or tasks from the old year to the new. As the end of the year approaches, therefore, businessmen busily wind up their affairs of the old year. They try to pay all their obligations by New Year's Eve. Even non-businessmen try to clear the slate by the end of the year.
Homemakers all over the nation work extra hard preparing for the holiday. They must prepare many special foods, clean the house even more rigorously than usual, and make decorations for the holiday season.
The cleaning is called Susuharai, or soot-sweeping. Both inside and outside the house, the stains, physical and spiritual, of the past year are rubbed out in order to purify the home and make it fresh for the New Year.
Then, on New Year's Eve, a pine decoration known as Kadomatsu is set up on both sides of the front entrance. Some homes have elaborate Kadomatsu with bamboo added to the pine, as well as plum branches. The Kadomatsu is thought to welcome good luck into the house.
Another, equally-important decoration is the Shimenawa, a sacred rope made of straw on which zig-zag strips of paper have been hung. This is placed above the front entrance in order to prevent "evil spirits" from entering the house.
Many special dishes are prepared for the holiday season. Since the holiday itself is a time of rest from housework, the foods are such as to free the housewife from her regular chores. An important food at New Year is Omochi, steamed rice that has been pounded and formed into cakes. This is eaten either grilled on a brazier or in a soup, known as Ozoni. Vegetable dishes are also popular during the New Year holiday, partly because they are easy to prepare and easy to store. Food shops generally remain closed throughout the holiday period, so it is necessary to stock on all items.
Offerings are made to the household gods on a small table. The offerings usually consist of Omochi, dried persimmons, dried chestnuts, pine seeds, black peas, sardines, herring roe, a cray fish, a sea-bream, some dried cuttlefish, Mochibana, or flowers made of rice and straw, mandarin oranges, and many other items varying from district to district.
Preparations for the holiday are all completed by New Year's Eve. By then, all businesses and nearly all stores are closed, and a strange calm settles over both city and countryside. During the three-day holiday period, known as Shogatsu Sanganichi , everyone except those who run amusement enterprises or are responsible for essential services, such as transportation, have a period of vacation. For many people, the year-end holiday actuallv begins around December 29, when all public offices begin their vacations. Others end their work either on the 30th or early on the 31 st. In recent years, therefore, more people have been taking advantage of the long holiday to travel to the countryside for skiing and skating, or for relaxing at hot spring resorts.
On New Year's Eve, most people spend their time with their families. Sons and daughters who have moved to the city return to their parents' homes in the country if this is at all possible. That way the entire family greets the New Year together. Many families pass the evening watching special television programs. Others visit shrines and temples where they pray by the light of bonfires.
The family waits up to hear the Joya-no-Kane, or midnight tooling of the temple bells. At the stroke of midnight on New year's Eve, the entire nation listens to the tolling of the Tsuri-Gane, the great bells or gongs at Japan's Buddhist temples. While it is bell-shaped, the Tsuri-gane is struck on the outside by a large wooden hammer suspended by ropes, so it may be thought of as a gong. At Chion-in Temple in Kyoto, many visitors are drawn every New Year's Eve to watch the tolling of one of the largest bells in the world. It weighs 74 tons. The Joya-no-Kane consists of 108 solemn tolls on the temple bells. According to Buddhism, man has 108 sins and that, by hearing the bells toll that number, he can be relieved of all of them.
Thus the New Year begins in Japan. Family members traditionally spend New Year's morning briefly worshiping at home at miniature Buddhist and Shinto altars. The people use the day for making resolutions which they intend to keep for the coming year. A well-known Japanese proverbs says: "New Year's is the key to unlock the year".
The family exchanges greeting for the holiday. Afterward, children are presented by their parents with Otoshi-Dama, New Year's gifts, usually in the form of money placed in special little envelopes. Later, relatives and close friends bring Otoshi-dama when they visit. The sum is larger than the usual allowance and children are free to spend it as they wish. Children look forward to New Year's largely because they know they will receive Otoshi-dama and because they will be able to dress in their most beautiful clothes.
The three-day holiday is a time to visit shrines and temples to make pledges for the coming year and to pray for good luck. The main shrines and temples in Japan are specially decorated for the occasion and are often crowded with worshippers and visitors, all in their finest Kimono or Western clothes. The scene is at once bustling, solemn and colorful.
The custom of Nenshi, or paying calls on friends and relatives to greet them on the New Year, is very popular. During these visits, Otoso, a thick, sweet rice wine, is often served.
Sending Nengajo, or New Year's cards, is a very popular custom especially for distant friends and acquaintances. The cards are similar, perhaps, to Christmas cards in the West except that they are usually in the form of postcards. The tradition of sending these is very strong, and the mailmen make every effort to deliver all the cards on the morning of New Year's Day itself.
About two weeks before the holiday, post offices begin accepting bundles of Nengajo for New Year's Day. The cards are then sorted and tied in bundles for each household, and readied for delivery. Then on the morning of New Year's Day, mailmen make deliveries to each house. It is a great joy to receive and read greetings from friends, near and far, on that morning.
In addition to its social purposes, O-Shogatsu, or the New Year, is a time of renewal and as such it is marked by numerous ceremonies. By tradition, for example, storekeepers on the second day of the New Year have a ceremony known as Hatsuni, when the first merchandise of the year is delivered and stocked. Another traditional event on January 2 is Kaizome, or the ceremony of the first calligraphic writing drawn with a brush. Yet another tradition is that Hatsu-Yume, or first dream. The commencement of a things is celebrated on January 2.
On the third day of the holiday, which is the last day of the official holiday-period, even though some rituals continue for several days, an ancient ritual known as Genshisai is performed at the Imperial Court. The rare dance and music art form known as Gagaku is performed at the Imperial Court on this day.
While the holiday is a time of ritual, it is also a time of relaxation. children enjoy Tako-age, or kite-flying. The blustery winter winds are usually perfect for lifting the large, colorful kites off the ground. For girls, a popular sport at this time is Hane-tsuki, known in the West as battledore and shuttlecock. A century ago, girls in colorful Kimono could be seen everywhere playing this game at New Year's, but it is now less popular than before. Still, the Battledore Market in Tokyo is thronged with poeple during December who come to shop for battledores or just browse among the brightly painted paddles containing images of Samurai and ladies.
Karuta, a kind of card game, is also popular during the New Year holiday. The players spread out cards on which pictures and poems, or characters and proverbs, or flowers and months, are illustrated. The object of the game is to pick the correct cards first. In one game, a reader reads the first part of poem while the players search for the card on which the last part is written. As can be seen, Karuta is stimulating, educational and competitive.
On January 4, most people return to work. The holiday has refreshed them and prepared them to tackle the tasks and goals of another year. The New Year's atmosphere hangs on several days, because many ceremonies continue to take place until Setsubun, in early February.
Jan. 6 is the dezomeshiki, or day when the fire brigade goes back into formation after the holiday celebration. The acrobatic performances atop ladders, and demon strations staged by Tokyo's firemen at the Palace plaza are a delight to behold. Costumes of firemen of the Middle Ages are worn for the occasion.
The Kadomatsu, or pine tree decorations gracing the entrance of each household, are removed on the night of Jan. 14. The 2 weeks during which the kadomatsu decorates the doors is called matsunouchi, or inside the pine. The recent tendency in Tokyo is to remove the trees on Jan. 7.
Jan. 7 is also the day for eating nanakusa-gayu or gruel cooked with seven varieties of herbs.
On Jan. 11, the kagami-mochi or two tiered rice cake that were placed in the alcove of the living room and kitchen are cut up and eaten. This custom, called kagami biraki, was originated by the samurai class.
Dondoyaki or ombeyaki, an ancient Chinese custom which takes place on the night of Jan. 14, is an occasion for much merrymaking, especially for the children. On this night, kadomatsu, shimekazari and other New Year decorations are gathered from the households and burned in a huge bonfire. The participants sing songs, roast rice cakes and indulge in fortune telling.
On Jan. 15, or Small New Year, azuki-qayu (gruel cooked with red beans) is eaten to drive away evil spirit and illness for the coming year.
This day is also a national holiday called Seijin no Hi or Adults Day and dedicated to young men and women who reached the age of 20.
On Jan. 18, the annual outakai-hajime, or poetry party is held at Court. Poems on a given theme selected from the entries submitted by the public are read aloud on this occasion.
Visits to Shinto shrines are important in the lives of the Japanese people. They not only make periodical visits to their Ujigami or district shrines, but they also make special trips to pay respects to distant shrines. But of all such visits to shrines, the most important is Hatsumairi or First Visit which is made on New Year's Day.
The New Year's Day symbolizes the birth of the nation and thus on the first day of the year, the people are particularly inclined to worship.
The Japanese people love to make special visits to distant, famous shrines. Trains leaving various parts of the country late on New Year's Eve are usually crowded with persons who intend to make visits early in the morning of New Year's Day.
Local Ujigami shrines have large numbers of visitors as soon as the 108 bells are sounded to usher in the New Year.
At many local shrines, special charms to protect the happiness of worshippers are issued in the New Year season. The aim of Hatsumairi is to pray for a bright and happy year. The beginning of the year is quite significant to the Japanese people who believe that one year begins on New Year's Day and ends on the following New Year's Eve, and that each year is a separate unit.
This belief respecting the beginning of the year, and the association with the birth of the Nation, are factors that made Hatsumairi popular and significant in the country.