For the New Year (正月) we went to visit Mitsuyo family. It is very different celebration compared to
Europe, but actually it is similar to Christmas time.
The families get together, prepare special food, watch TV and eat a
lot.
Before we left we decorated the house with few nice looking
decorations. One for the doors outside and one inside the room. I am not sure about their meanings, but it has something to do with greeting the God, I think.
got caught (this one is made of rice)
on our doors (looks so nice)
On the 31st lot of people visits temples and shrines.
They wait till the midnight and right after the first seconds of the New Year
come, they enter the shrines and pray to God. They really want to meet God as
soon as possible in the beginning of the year. Sometimes they have to wait for
3 or 4 hours in queues to get to the altar to pray.
Here is a photo I found on Internet, cause I am not really
interested in queueing for hours.
In Asakusa, Tokyo
Others on this occasion perform a purification ritual, that you
might heard of, and that is standing under the waterfall (or in sea, or some
pool of water in temple). I have seen on TV a little boy, maybe 5 years old, to
perform such a ritual in sea. Brave young soul.
found on Internet
If people don’t visit the shrines or temples at midnight, they will definitely
go on the 1st of January. We went as well.
But before that we had breakfast made especially for the New Year. It
is a mixture of many things and mostly it has sweet taste. The breakfast
started with ritual of drinking sake and I must say that I really enjoyed that
one.
sake ritual
special New Year foods
After eating a lot we went to local shrine, which is famous for its
cherry trees. Of course there was a lot of people (as it always is in Japan,
when there is holiday time), and many little shops to sell delicious foods and
drinks outside the shrine.
After entering the shrine, we had to wait in queue to wash our
hands, (which I didn’t – I was a bad boy). After that another queue to get to
the altar (which I did – I was a good boy), and then other queues for other
things, like special protections for the house or people, special food, special
fortune telling papers, etc. (which I didn’t – I was bad boy again).
Interesting was that after our prayer at the altar, maybe one minute
after, we had an earthquake. Not strong one, just an average one, but of course
for many people it has a meaning, a message from Gods of Nature or the Earth.
Well with this message and good fortune telling for the Year 2012,
and drinking nice hot seaweed soup we did some shopping and returned to the
house.
In the evening we played games at Wii Nintendo. It was great fun. If
you have kids (or adults), and they bother you with buying them some game console, get them
this one. They have to move as they play.
In sword play I have badly lost with Mitsuyo’s
mum, in Ping-Pong I have lost too with her father, and in other sports I have
lost even more, but it was really great fun and we actually continued playing
till about 2 in the morning.
Really recommend it.
Mitsuyo's parents enjoyed it too
archery (at least one game I was good at)
Well and that’s about all.
Wish you all great fun in the New Year 2012.
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