December 22, 2016 • mccsokinawa.com
Last issue of the year! Back on January 12.
Thomas Alan Smilie
T
he New Year inspires rituals on both a cultural and personal level. It signals a new start in our lives, and we do a lot of things to make this idea seem as authentic and real as possible. Spaniards eat one grape for each of the 12 chimes at midnight for good luck; Greeks hang onions on their door to symbolize rebirth; Americans watch a giant ball creep down a pole; and in Denmark, throwing dishes on someone’s doorstep brings them many friends. In Japan, there are also a number of rituals that serve to wipe the previous year’s slate clean and represent the good fortune ahead. Two of the most popular New Year’s rituals in Japan are also the most practical when trying to
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start the year fresh and forget the past—they involve partying and throwing out all your old junk: Ôsôji and bônenkai mean end-of-year cleaning and forget-the-year party, respectively. Bônenkai are the most attended parties of the year, held by companies and groups of friends. Participating in annual ôsôji symbolizes independence from material things collected throughout the year (read more about ôsôji on page 5). Another popular tradition, which dates back to the Edo Period, is eating noodles. On New Year’s Eve, having a bowl of noodles wards off evil spirits, and noodles represent long life. The first temple visit of the year is also a similar token of good fortune. Called hatsumôde, people
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"In Japan, there are also a number of rituals that serve to wipe the previous year’s slate clean and represent the good fortune ahead." flock to shrines to offer the first prayers of the year and collect omikuji—yearly fortune.
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