Kako Furukawa
Do you know about Japanese "New Year's Day" ? There are a lot of traditions about it.
Let me explain some of them.
First, at the beginning of New Year's Day, there are pines at the gate of houses.
Japanese people say this pines "Kadomatu". We decorated our gate with pine branches.
And, do you know the origin?
The old days, Japanese people believed that gods dwelt at the treetops.
So, they decorated pines to receive gods.
Second, have you ever played battledore and shuttlecock?
We often say it "Hanetuki". Old days, people made these battledores with
the wish which girls grew well. So, girl's faces were often drew on battledores.
Third, we often eat rice gruel containing the seven spring herbs
on the seventh day of the New Year. We call it "nanakusagayu"
Why do we eat this rice gruel?
The New Year's dishes sit heavy on our stomachs.
So, we can eat healthy herbs and rest our stomachs.
Fourth, do you do "kagamibiraki" on the eleventh of January?
It is the custom of cutting and eating a large, round rice cake,
which had been offered to the gods.
In Japan, "kagami" means peaceful, and "biraki" means successful.
With eating hard food, we can make our teeth tough.
Finally, I would like to explain "dondoyaki".
It's like a formality and hold at shrines on fifteenth of January.
this time, we finish the New Year's vacation.
And, we often burn used pine branches or battledores, or rice cakes.
It is said that we don't have fires if we do the formality.
Considering the traditions mentions above,
Japanese may pray to gods for our happiness every New Year's Day.
Happy New Year !!
Do you know about Japanese "New Year's Day" ? There are a lot of traditions about it.
Let me explain some of them.
First, at the beginning of New Year's Day, there are pines at the gate of houses.
Japanese people say this pines "Kadomatu". We decorated our gate with pine branches.
And, do you know the origin?
The old days, Japanese people believed that gods dwelt at the treetops.
So, they decorated pines to receive gods.
Second, have you ever played battledore and shuttlecock?
We often say it "Hanetuki". Old days, people made these battledores with
the wish which girls grew well. So, girl's faces were often drew on battledores.
Third, we often eat rice gruel containing the seven spring herbs
on the seventh day of the New Year. We call it "nanakusagayu"
Why do we eat this rice gruel?
The New Year's dishes sit heavy on our stomachs.
So, we can eat healthy herbs and rest our stomachs.
Fourth, do you do "kagamibiraki" on the eleventh of January?
It is the custom of cutting and eating a large, round rice cake,
which had been offered to the gods.
In Japan, "kagami" means peaceful, and "biraki" means successful.
With eating hard food, we can make our teeth tough.
Finally, I would like to explain "dondoyaki".
It's like a formality and hold at shrines on fifteenth of January.
this time, we finish the New Year's vacation.
And, we often burn used pine branches or battledores, or rice cakes.
It is said that we don't have fires if we do the formality.
Considering the traditions mentions above,
Japanese may pray to gods for our happiness every New Year's Day.
I know the name of your posted five things, but I have little knowledge of them.
ReplyDeleteTraditional things has many meanings and origins, and when I read your article, I think we should hand them to the next generation.
Masashi Yamada
I didn't know the meaning behind having kadomatsu. I have just always admired their beauty on the front gates of people's houses. And I didn't know about kagamibiraki at all, so thank you very much for teaching me about Japanese culture. I respect and appreciate these small gems that make Japan such an interesting place to live!
ReplyDeleteMs. MacGregor