from WAFI by CDL: Happy New Year!

Well, maybe it's too late huh. In Japan, the Japanese New Year(they called ‘Oshōgatsu’) is one of the big events Japanese people celebrating every year on 1^st January. They have so many cultures and customs packed to meet this day.

1. First of all, from Japan's old calendar they will have big house cleaning from 13^th December, preparation to incoming New Year day, which they believe their Gods are coming down and bring prosperity to them. But nowadays, most of the modern Japanese begin the cleaning around 28^th December when most of them having a break from work or schools.

2. They have customs to send New Year’s postcard to their families and friend with all good wishes. This time is the busiest time for every post office in Japan.

3. Put ‘Kadomatsu', decorative pine trees at the gate (for the New Year) and set up ‘Shimenawa’, sacred Shinto straw garland. They believe it can guide the God to come to their house.

4. Eat ‘Toshikoshi soba’, buckwheat noodles on New Year’s Eve. Because the noodles are thin and long, they believe it can prolong their life by eating the noodle.

5. On the midnight of 31^st December, Buddhist temples all over Japan ring their bells a total of 108 times to symbolize the 108 human sins in Buddhist belief and to get rid of the 108 worldly desires regarding sense and feeling in every Japanese people.

6. ‘Hatsumōde’ which means the first Shinto shrine visit of the Japanese New Year. Usually 1st January until 7th January to 15th January.

7. Watch the first sunrise of the New Year.

8. Eat ‘Osechi’, New Year dishes, which combines many kinds of ingredients that they believe will bring health, blessed with many children, happiness, wealth and much more.

9. Give ‘Otoshidama’, money given as a gift at the New Year mostly to children. Originally it was ‘Mochi’, rice cake to be presented to God, but with the flow of time, it changed to money.