January Venture 2022

Article by Carolyn Osorio | Design by Yuka Kinjo | Photos by Jamie Acton

2022 Year of the Tiger

New Year’s Eve makes most Americans think of sparklers, champagne, and the countdown to midnight. New Year’s Day is usually a time to relax and think about your resolutions for the year ahead. However, New Year’s celebrations here in Okinawa are not limited to just one night and the following day — they happen over two months, encompassing an incredible variety of traditions from cleaning the house to brewing special sake to visiting shrines to watching the first sunrise of the New Year. The sheer amount of New Year’s items, events, traditions, and ceremonies can be hard to keep track of, so we talked with Kaori Kinjo, the Inter-Cultural Coordinator at Airman & Family Readiness, to bring you this small guide to celebrating the New Year in Okinawa.

The first thing to know is that Okinawans observe three different New Year’s celebrations. The first of the season is the calendar New Year, with the New Year typically being rung in via the Joya-no-Kane, or the ringing of temple bells (108 times to be exact) at midnight. On New Year’s Day, it is traditional to watch the first sunrise, or “hatsuhinode,” to pray to the Sun god for good fortune. Many Okinawans head North to Hedo Point or to the Eastern part of the island, to beaches in places like Hamahiga Island, in order to be among the first to see the sunrise. Be warned, Kaori-san explained that many people begin lining up just after midnight in order to have a good spot in these more popular places. After sunrise, many Okinawans head right to the shrine to pray for their family’s good health! This first shrine visit of the New Year is called “hatsumōde,” and these visits can technically happen anytime through 3 January, when most Okinawans have the day off from work and school.

The second New Year’s celebration Okinawans observe is Lunar New Year, or “kyu shogatsu,” which will be celebrated 1-3 February this year. Lunar New Year is an especially big deal in areas where fisherman (called “uminchu”) have lived in Okinawa. Kaori-san explained that the Itoman area is a particularly lively community during Lunar New Year, where tall festive flags are often displayed off the sides of boats as a way to pray for a good, and safe, fishing season.

The third New Year’s celebration that Okinawans observe is called “juuruku nichi,” a kind of Remembrance Day or Ancestor’s New Year’s. This happens on the 16th Day of the New Lunar Year, meaning it’s on 16 February this year. This celebration involves extended relatives meeting at their family tomb with offerings and food in order to eat and celebrate the New Year with their ancestors. However, Kaori-san made sure to emphasize that this tradition is mostly popular in the northern part of mainland Okinawa, and within the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands. She explained that her family, being from the Okuma area, celebrates this tradition, “My father is from Ogimi village so that’s why we do ‘juuruku nichi’ every year.” While the central and southern areas of the island don’t usually celebrate “juuruku nichi,” homes with a “butsudan,” or a Buddhist altar, will traditionally leave offerings like food and fruits on the altar this day.

When traditional Japanese New Year’s items start appearing in stores in December, it can be overwhelming to discern what each item means, is used for, and is meant to represent. While Americans might buy sunglasses shaped like the year 2022, Okinawans shop for wreaths, door talismans, and offerings to place throughout their homes. Each item has a designated place and purpose for both welcoming the New Year’s god and bringing good fortune to your family!

The timing of when to decorate is also a very important element to consider. Most people decorate on 28 December since the number 8 is considered an auspicious number for the Japanese. Kaori-san explained that this is because the kanji symbol for the number 8 looks like a mountain, whose wider base can symbolize the growing of a family’s family tree. Most families will take down their New Year’s decorations on 7 January since that is the day the New Year’s god leaves our world. Then, on 15 January, these decorative items are taken to a family’s selected shrine to be burned. It is believed that having these items burned in a spiritual way will ensure they are purified. In mainland Japan, it is even common for people to put mochi on sticks and brown them in the purified flames to eat for good health all year long!

This is by no means a definitive guide, and there are many more traditions, treats, and customs that I wish I could share with you about how Okinawans celebrate New Year’s! My hope is that this article can help you get started on learning more about the culture and traditions of the Okinawan people. If you’re looking for more, you can join the Airman & Family Readiness Center for classes on the Japanese language, bingata dyeing, sanshin, and even chopsticks etiquette!

Here are some New Year’s decorations you’re sure to see in stores and around Okinawan neighborhoods during the New Year season:

“Kadomatsu” are bamboo decorations that often resemble ikebana floral arrangements. (You might recognize them from their emoji :) They come in pairs and are meant to be left on both sides of a home’s entry gate or front door. These beautiful arrangements come in a variety of sizes and styles and serve to welcome ancestral spirits into your home. Kaori-san told us that the exact dates and lengths of time for certain items to be on display depends largely on the individual family, but that these decorations are typically set out after Christmas and are taken down on 7 January to be burned on the 15th.

“Shimenawa” are braided or intertwined ropes of straw that are made into ornaments (called “shimekazari”) to hang on a home’s front door. Shinto shrines will typically have larger “shimenawa” all year long, but homes use smaller versions for the New Year season. These ornaments welcome the New Year’s god into your home and serve to block bad spirits from entering. These items are also typically set out after Christmas, taken down on the 7th, and burned on the 15th.

“Kagami mochi” are sets of two rice cakes that are stacked on top of each other on a “sanpō (stand)” with a “daidai (type of orange)” placed on top. They are considered very lucky, and unlike many New Year’s items, they can be placed in multiple areas around your home. Depending on where you leave a “kagami mochi,” the item will please that room’s corresponding deity, so multiple “kagami mochi” are recommended. They are broken open, cooked, and eaten in a ceremony called “kagami biraki,” on 11 January. Eating the mochi allows people to pray for good health! More than likely you’ll find pre-molded plastic mochi packages in the store, which makes it easier to display and, eventually, eat.

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