December 1, 2010 in Sekaione Press, e-magazine by adminsekaione

e-Mag: December event in Japan

Year-end Sales

Special year-end sales are organized everywhere, in shopping quarters, department stores or supermarkets. A lottery sale attracts many shoppers who collect tickets and draw lots. Prizes may be an airline ticket to Hawai or Hong Kong, a new deluxe car, a fur coat and so on.

Shiwasu

The word Shiwasu, made from the kanji for “priest” and for “run,” derives its meaning from the tradition that in the old days priests visited parishioners at the end of year, so they were busy running from place to place to finish up their duties.

Nowadays, the word “Shiwasu” has been replaced by the word “December.”

____________________________________________________________

Bonenkai

Bonenkai, literally means a party to help forget the passing year, made from the kanji “forget”, “year” and “meeting”. Those who are present at the party forget unpleasant memories connected with the passing year, so they can feel relaxed. They spend a few hours drinking or enjoying other entertainment, such as karaoke, which has become very popular in recent years. Karaoke revelers enjoy singing songs to the accompaniment of video discs. This helps to enliven the party atmosphere.

____________________________________________________________

Nengahagaki

Exchanging New Year’s greeting cards is a very important custom in Japan. People start preparing for this in the middle of November. The Post office sells “New Year’s Greeting Cards with Prize” (otoshidama-tsuki-nengahagaki).

There are two kinds: cards with three-yen per-card donation and cards with no donation. The donated money goes to different charities. Each card has a lottery number printed on the bottom. On January 15^th of the new year, the winning numbers are drawn and announced on TV, radio and newspapers. People take cards with winning numbers to a nearby post office and exchange them for prizes.

New Year’s Greeting Cards with Prize have been issued since 1949.

____________________________________________________________

Mochitsuki

Rice cake pounding was a custom at the end of the year. All households used to do mochitsuki, but modern Japanese now buy ready-made rice cakes in a package or use electric mocha-makers.

Mochi-pounding gatherings to enjoy this old custom are still held in kindergartens. Mochi is made from steamed, hot glutinous rice, and is pounded many times in a wooden tub with a wooden pestle.

____________________________________________________________

Okazariuri

Many kinds of articles connected with New Year’s decorations of various sizes, shapes and prices are sold at open-air stalls set up in shrine precincts or at street corners.

All New Year’s decorations are hung between the 26^th and the 30^th. On the 31^st, decorations should not be set up. It is called “ichiya kazari” (decorations set up overnight) and is not favored.

____________________________________________________________

Omisoka

At the end of the year, people begin preparations to welcome the New Year. Housecleaning is as important as the preparation of New Year’s food and decorations.

In the old days when people used charcoal fires or firewoo to heat their homes, they dumped all the soot (susu) at the end of the year. This tradition remains today as the year-end big cleaning.

In households, people clean the whole house by sweeping out dust and doing small repairs, including replacing the old, ripped paper of shoji screens with new sheets of paper. After cleaning the house, people are considered fit, physically and spiritually, to welcome the god of the incoming year.

____________________________________________________________

Toshikoshi Soba

Soba (buckwheat noodles) symbolize long life because o their long shape, so soba is eaten on New Year’s Eve with the hope for a life as long as a noodle in the coming years.

New Year’s Eve is the busiest day at soba restaurants and soba shops. The custom of eating toshikoshi soba started during the Edo Period.

____________________________________________________________

Joya no Kane

The custom of ringing out the old year with temple bells on New Year’s Eve has been observed since the Nara Period. Traditionally, priests took turns striking the temples bells 108 times in succession, but nowadays many temples afford an opportunity to anybody who wants to strike the bell, which has the power to drive away evil. According to Buddhist belief, the 108 peals of the temple bell represent the 108 evil passions that beset mankind. When the last peal sounds, these earthly desires of human beings are cast out. Thus, people greet the New Year in a pure state of mind.

____________________________________________________________