Happy Japanese New Year from Netglimse.com Celebrated between January 1st & 3rd

Save as Bookmark

Send this Page to Friend.

Japanese New Year Wallpapers   Celebration of the Japanese New Year   Japanese New Year Dishes   Japanese New Year Greetings   Japanese New Year Rituals   Joya-no-kane   Special Amusements   Traditions and Customs   Shogatsu, or Oshogatsu, that is, the Japanese New Year, starts on the 1st of January and continues till the 3rd. Shogatsu is a very important Japanese holiday. As the New Year unfolds, wish all your Japanese friends a happy and prosperous New Year. In ancient times, the Japanese New Year was based on the same Chinese calendar as the Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese New Year (at the beginning of spring). Since 1873, Japan has followed the same months as the Gregorian calendar, so January 1st is the official New Year's Day for Japan. It is one of the most important festivals of the whole year. The Japanese New Year is a traditional festival which has been celebrated for centuries and has its own unique customs. January 1 is a very auspicious day, best started by viewing the new year's first sunrise (hatsu-hinode), and traditionally believed to be representative for the whole year that has just commenced. Therefore, the day is supposed be full of joy and free of stress and anger, while everything should be clean and no work should be done. It is a tradition to visit a shrine or temple during shogatsu (hatsumode). The most popular temples and shrines, such as Tokyo's Meiji Shrine, attract several million people during the three days. For the Japanese, Oshogatsu (New Year; literally, "new month"), is the most important celebration of the year, a festive occasion with good feelings and nostalgia. The Japanese New Year's celebrations evolved out of rituals associated with the changes of season, which are of utmost importance in Japanese farming. The New Year's events are widely celebrated and enjoyed in Japan, beginning on New Year's eve with the tradition of striking the joya no kane (end-of-the-year bell) from nearby Buddhist temples. The tolls represent the leaving behind of 108 bonno, or worldly concerns of the old year, which, according to Buddhist belief, torment mankind. During this ceremony, each toll is struck after the reverberations from the preceding toll have dissipated. The last peal of the bell is struck at midnight, coinciding with the first few seconds of the New Year; thus a new beginning dawns, enabling the start of a prosperous and joyous year. Related Links Japanese New Year Japanese New Year's Cards New Year's in Japan Readings: Japanese New Year's If you are interested in exchanging links please email at contact@netglimse.com