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| Traditional Japanese new year decoration |
It's been a while since my last post. A couple more days to new year and snow has turned into slippery ice here, in Sapporo.
This new year will be my second in Japan. Back in my country, religious feasts are considered the most important time of the year, so we don't really celebrate New Year. Yes, there are events, like parties, fireworks, music concert, or just going out to the street with friends, making loud noises with paper trumpet or car horn. Recently religious alternatives such as self introspection and lecture are also held to welcome New Year. But those are not custom or tradition in the means that it is passed from generation to generation, you definitely do it every year, and has some meanings behind.
That is why I was surprised when the end of the year approach last year. In Japan, New Year's Eve (Ōmisoka - 大晦日) and New Year's Day (o-Shougatsu - お正月) are considered the most important moments, many people go back to their hometown to gather with family, and celebrate it with traditions.
'Sōji' means 'cleaning' and 'ō' means 'big'. Simply said 'big cleaning', and it really are. Before 31st December, people clean their house thoroughly, in and out, wipe here and there, brush the floors, reorganize things. Not only house, but also at work, school, and of course also at my lab. The purpose is to welcome new year in fresh, clean state. New year new spirit.
In today's digital era, does postcard still popular? In Japan, the answer is yes. People send New Year postcards (nengajō) to friends and relatives. My Japanese language teacher said, for the postcards to be able to arrive at destination address at 1st January, it has to be sent before a specific date mentioned by Japan Post (I admire the accuracy of time in Japan). New Year postcards can be bought at post office, convenience store, books and stationary store, or it can be self-printed with our own creativity. The design is various, but usually the cards have Chinese zodiac sign of the year as part of design. 2011 is year of rabbit, so this animal becomes the icon of 2011 New Year postcard. There are some greetings which are commonly written on the postcard (personal message can be added to if you want), such as:
- (shinnen) akemashite o-medetō-gozaimasu ((新年)あけましておめでとうございます) (Happiness to you on the dawn [of a New Year])
- kotoshi mo yoroshiku o-negai-shimasu (今年もよろしくお願いします) (I hope for your favour again in the coming year)
- kinga shinnen (謹賀新年) (Happy New Year)
- shoshun (初春) (literally "early spring")
What interesting is the postcard sold by post office has lottery number printed. On 15th January, the winners are picked and prizes are given to winning number holder. Guess, new year new luck?
Parties (bōnenkai 忘年会・shinnenkai 新年会)
Parties? A custom? Yup. Japanese hold parties before year end, called bōnenkai, literally means party to forget everything in the past year. I see it is a must event among co-workers and friends. You can have more than one bōnenkai on December, one with your co-workers, one with your international friends, one with your friends at Japanese language class, and more if you are a member in other communities. And, of course, each party costs money. Sigh.
There is also shinnenkai, New Year party, although it is less popular than bōnenkai, thankfully. If not, I would say, new year empty pocket @_@.
Bell ringing
On first days of January this year, I watched on television about crowd of people visiting temples on New Year's Eve. Apparently, at midnight, when both arms of clock point at 12, Buddhist temples ring their bells 108 times to symbolize the 108 sins in Buddhist belief, and to get rid of the 108 worldly desires regarding sense and feeling in every Japanese people. New year new life (though I don't believe in such a thing, no offence).
Last year, besides learning to make nengajō, we were given a small decorated envelope, called pochibukuro (ポチ袋). In New Year, Japanese people has custom to give money to children. I'm not sure about the amount, but if I'm not mistaken, it is about 10-20.000 yen per envelope. Maybe little children get 5.000 yen. So, for children, new year lots of income, haha..
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Food
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| Osechi-ryori |
Japanese people eat special dish on special moment. On ōmisoka, people customarily eat buckwheat noodles, toshikosi soba (年越しそば), to wish for long life, associating eating long noodles with 'crossing over from this year to next year'. Referring to some sites, on o-shōtgatsu, people eat special selection of dishes, called osechi-ryōri (御節料理), presented in layer boxes, called jubako. Many are sweet, sour, or dried, so that they can keep without refrigeration and eat it for couple of first days on new year - when shops are close, thus allowing them to have cooking break. Some of the dishes are boiled seaweed (kombu 昆布), fish cakes (kamaboko 蒲鉾), mashed sweet potato with chestnut (kurikinton 栗きんとん), simmered burdock root (kinpira gobō 金平牛蒡), and sweetened black soybeans (kuromame 黒豆). Each has meaning, like kamaboko for pleasure and happiness, kurikinton for good wealth and fortune. New year with plenty of food.
Mochi
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| Kagami mochi |
Couple days ago I went to an equipment store and there were stacks of boxes with two white round layer and an orange (daidai 橙) on top inside each box. Then I remembered about kagami mochi (鏡餅) thing. It is a New Year decoration made from mochi (餅), sticky rice.
Making mochi is another custom in New Year. Boiled sticky rice (mochigome 餅米) is put into a wooden shallow bucket-like container and patted with water by one person while another person hits it with a large wooden mallet. By doing it repeatedly, it forms sticky pulp, then shaped into cakes or buns, usually stuffed with bean paste. But, maybe for kagami mochi, no bean paste, only plain mochi.
Since mochi is food, likely those sold at the store were kagami mochi-shape plastic decoration, so it can be used again next year. Little surprised though. I didn't know they sell the plastic version. When tradition has to compromise with time and money.
'The Firsts'
Everything first happen in New Year is important for Japanese people. Hatsuhinode (初日の出) is the first sunrise of the year. Some catch the first rays from inside the grounds of shrine, others may prefer to drive to the coast or climb a mountain to see the first sunrise of the year. Hatsumōde is the first visit to shrine or temple, might be after midnight or during the day on 1st January. Other 'firsts' include shigoto-hajime (仕事始め, the first work of the new year), hatsu-uri (初売り, the first shopping sale of the year), hatsugama (the first tea ceremony of the year), keiko-hajime (稽古始め, the first practice of the year). New year with good first step.
Tomorrow winter break will start for the next one week. You can feel holiday atmosphere everywhere, of course also in my lab. Although I don't consider New Year as something really special, who can resist holiday?
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