Regular Annual Events in Japan
Christmas (December 25)
There are not many baptized Christians in Japan, but many people engage
in festive activities on Christmas Eve. Children, especially, enjoy receiving
presents from "Santa Claus."
(From "Nippon-The Land and Its People-"written by Nippon Steel
Resources Development, published by Gakuseisha Publishing Co.,Ltd.
Omisoka or New Year's Yve
(December 31)
@@@Preparations for the New Year are to be made by Omisoka. General
house-cleaning (osoji) and rice-cake (mochi) making used
to be among the most important works to be done before the New Year. After
the house-cleaning, the New Year decorations made up of pine tree branches
(kadomatsu) are put up at the gates, and a sacred straw festoon
(shimenawa) is hung above the front door. Round mirror-shaped rice
cakes (kagamimochi) are offered on the household altar (kamidana)
or placed in the alcove (tokonoma) of the main room. On New Year's
Yve, temples ring watch-night bell (joya-no-kane) 108 times, wishing
to relieve the human sufferings caused by men's earthly desires, which
amount, according to Buddhist belief, to 108. Adult members of the family
may sit around a kotatsu (fire-place with a coverlet) and toast
the New Year at the stroke of the watch-night bell. Meals taken on this
night vary widely with the locality ; osechi or customary dishes
for the New Year are served in the western and central districts, and soba
or buckwheat noodles in the eastern districts.
(From "AN ENGLISH DICTIONARY OF JAPANESE CULTURE" written by
Nobuyuki Honna & Bate Hoffer, published by YUHIKAKU PUBLISHING CO.,LTD.,Tokyo)
