Throughout most of
its history, Japan went by the lunar calendar, so the holiday
would fall at different dates on the Gregorian calendar. But
these days, New Year's is observed on January 1.
The Japanese New Year's holiday used to last several days; now
it's been pared down to just three. New Year's Eve is devoted to
kite flying and other fun and games. January 1 and 2 are feast
days.
Most Japanese households -- and most families of Japanese
descent living in the United States -- still observe rituals
that go back as far as the Edo period of the 17th century. New
Year's resolutions in Japan are made to bring prosperity and
happiness for the future. Any unfinished business requires
attention at the end of the year, so houses are cleaned, debts
are paid, and foods are prepared prior to the New Year so the
holiday can be enjoyed with leisure. Wearing new clothing,
family members rise early on New Year's morning and visit the
family shrine before they settle down to a breakfast of ozoni,
the traditional soup made in any number of regional styles, and
join in a toast for good fortune with otoso, (sweet sake brewed
with cinnamon and other spices), which is believed to prevent
sickness. Friends and family spend New Year's day visiting one
another. The New Year is considered a time of forgiveness and
cordiality to all.
In
Japan, as the end of the year approaches, the customary and familiar
symbols of the New Year appear in the streets and in homes. Many of the
symbols are based upon or linked to the Shinto, Buddhist, or folk
traditions of Japan. The kudomatsu or "gate-pine" is an arrangement of
pine, bamboo, and sometimes plum blossom. The arrangement is placed on
either side of the front entrance to the house to ward off evil
dominance and invoke fertility, growth, and the power to resist
adversity and old age. The pine represents strength, longivity and
youthful optimism. The bamboo, which is straight and unbending,
symbolizes resilience, uprightness, rapid growth and finial piety; it
leans with the wind, but does not break. The apricot or plum braves the
winter season and has sweet blossoms despite the cold and snowy weather.
They symbolize steadfastness in adversity and are looked upon as a good
omen for child-bearing. Fertility is also associated with kazunoko
(herring roe) and ikura (red salmon roe), both of which must grace the
holiday table. The kadomatsu symbolizes the hope of the household that
the upcoming year will bring vigor, long life, and strength to all
family members. The shimenawa is fresh rice-straw laced in a particular
fashion to form a rope. This ornament is placed at the entrance of the
house or over cooking stoves during the oshogatsu season. In the Shinto
tradition, the shimenawa indicates a sacred area. It is believed that no
evil can pass beyond the line of the shimenawa.
Color is also important. White and red are especially favored, with
white denoting innocence and purity, and red representing the sun and
its bursting energy.
Although the traditional Japanese New Year's feast requires hours upon
hours in the kitchen, almost everything can and should be prepared well
in advance. Some of the most enjoyable New Year's dinners are either
shabu-shabu -- where diners cook their own meals in a communal pan
placed in the center of the table, selecting paper-thin sliced beef,
fish and vegetables from trays placed on the table -- or mixed sushi.
Like shabu-shabu, mixed sushi is another do-it-yourself preparation,
though the host or cook has to do a lot of prep work. Each diner is
served mori (seaweed squares), a bowl of sushi rice and small bowls with
wasabi and dipping sauce. They then select from a lavish tray laden with
all manner of foods to create their own sushi. Since the god of the New
Year is responsible for the rice crop, a sake offering is also very
appropriate. It's all part of osechi, or offering food to the gods and
ensuring a healthy, prosperous and wise year ahead. We all raise our
sake cups to that!
