Japanese New Year Customs

10 Japanese customs for the New Year.

1. Welcoming the New Year's sunrise (Hatsu no Izutsu). Praying at the break of the New Year's sun is said to bring good luck, especially with the spectacular view of the rising sun. Many people head to the mountains or the sea to wait for the sun to rise and start a new year.

2. Sumptuous meals

There are two types of gourmet meals that are commonly eaten during the Japanese New Year: omusashi and okonomiyaki. Both are equally delicious. The history of osechi dates back to the Heian period (795-1185). At that time, the Japanese were particularly superstitious, believing that cooking or using the fireplace three days before New Year's would bring bad luck.

Therefore, food during this period had to be prepared well in advance of the New Year. For this reason, Okonomiyaki must be preserved for more than a few days: stews, meals made from dry ingredients, and pickles are the mainstays of the New Year's cuisine. In addition, each dish symbolizes longevity, good health, fertility, and joy - all of which can enhance one's luck when eaten.

Mizutaki (雑煮) really originated as a nutritious stew eaten by samurai on the battlefield, and its association with New Year's Eve dates back to the 16th century toward the end of the Muromachi period. The main ingredient in zhonjiru is rice cake, but you can add any ingredient you want to interpret the dish - zhonjiru can be made with a wide variety of spare ingredients, or any other soup ingredient used in any region or household.

3. Salute the new year with yakiniku. Homemade yakiniku, or "tsuke", which is prevalent mainly in the Western Japan region, is drunk by all family members in a set of three stacked traditional shallow cups on New Year's morning.

The medicinal wine contains a variety of herbs, and it is believed that drinking it will wash away the bad luck left over from the previous year and bring the blessings of longevity and good health. The main purpose of the ritual is to celebrate rather than to quench thirst, so only a few shallow sips are sufficient.

4. Make a New Year's wish. Three days before the New Year, even Japanese without strong religious beliefs visit shrines or temples to make wishes for the new year; it is a Japanese tradition. At this time of year, you'll find crowds of worshippers lining up to throw sai money (5 yen is the luckiest) and make their New Year's wishes to the gods.

Because the weather is quite cold, many shrines also send out "Japanese ganju" (a mellow, sweet drink made from fermented rice that warms the body). People also ask for a sign to foretell their fortune for the coming year and buy New Year's amulets or omamori, then perform a formal ceremony to burn last year's amulets.

5. "Goshinji" New Year's Luck One of the most popular New Year's customs in Japan is to go to a shrine or temple and ask for an autograph to foretell one's luck for the coming year. Usually each person has a chance to draw a good omen from a selection of more than 100 good swabs.

Each of the swabs indicates fortunate events related to wealth, health, relationships, and so on. If you get a bad sign, it is usually customary to tie it to a specific object in a temple or shrine to avoid bad things coming your way.

6. "Gosho" for good luck. "Omori" are amulets that can usually be purchased at temples or shrines. Different omamori represent different meanings -- whether it's to ward off evil spirits, to meet true love, to improve finances, to ensure safe childbirth, and so on. They also come in various forms - the most common being a small brocade bag (do not open it or its effectiveness will be reduced!). .

And the Demon Breaker (an arrow that destroys demons). Never burn an amulet or gosho privately! If you must discard it, take it to a temple for a formal ceremony to burn it.

7. Handing out red envelopes (お年玉). Exchanging gifts on New Year's Day is relatively rare, but rest assured that Japanese children are not shortchanged -- they get to take "hongbao" (a painted envelope containing shiny cash).

Children usually receive red envelopes from their parents or other relatives, and the older they are, the higher the amount they get (all children in a family receive the same amount to avoid unfairness). Although this is a routine tradition, children are free to dispose of their red packet money.

8. Traditional games and activities. There are many ways to celebrate the Japanese New Year, and each family celebrates differently. One of the most well-known and popular is to play traditional games such as "katanobu" (a game similar to badminton, using wooden decorative boards) or spinning wooden tables, kite-flying, or "shimenawa" (a traditional card game).

Other traditional activities such as calligraphy and poetry recitation are also common. Older generations like to welcome the New Year by enjoying Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (and Wafune is curious as to why it is associated with the Japanese New Year). However, some families are content to just play a few board games and enjoy the time together.

9. Watch the traditional lion dance. "Introduced to Japan during the Tang Dynasty in China, lion dances are now fully integrated into Japanese culture, and the culture of lion dances varies from region to region. The lion dance is performed at New Year's celebration venues and shrines to festive music. The lions may look fierce, but it is said that if a child's head is gently "bitten" with the lion's mouth, the child will be healthy for the whole year.

10.Looking forward to the first dream of the New Year. Since at least the Edo period (1603-1868), the Japanese have attached great importance to the first dream of the New Year.

Traditionally referring to the dreams you have on the night of January 1-2 (because people stay up all night the night before), it is believed that what you dream about will predict New Year's fortune. If you happen to see Mount Fuji, an eagle, or an eggplant (one Fuji, two eagles, three eggplants) in your dream, then you will be the luckiest person in the world.