New Year in Japan

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 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. 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 has been pared down to just three. Most Japanese households 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 rice wine), 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.

Osechi ryori, a combination of various dishes, which symbolize offering to gods, is served during the first three days of the New Year. Each of the food items has meanings such as happiness, longevity, fertility, fidelity and learning. Preparing a full set of osechi, the original style of which dates back to 650 years ago, is being less practiced nowadays. Families of younger generations prefer to buy a ready made osechi at a department store. According to a recent survey, the tradition of eating osechi is still followed by a large majority (72%) of the Japanese. 61% visit a temple or shrine on New Year.