Spring is when all living things send forth new shoots.
Setsubun (節分, around February 3rd) is the day before the official first day of spring. On this day, people throw beans to ward off bad fortune and pray for good health for the year ahead.
Hinamatsuri (ひなまつり, Doll Festival, March 3rd) is when we pray for the healthy growth of girls by displaying hina dolls and offering diamond-shaped rice cakes and peach blossoms.
The Vernal Equinox (春分の日, around March 21st) is when the spirits of ancestors are honoured, and people visit their graves.
Tango-no-Sekku (端午の節句, May 5th) comes in May, and people pray for good health for boys. Families hang carp streamers in the fresh spring breezes, swimming in the sky, and display warrior dolls or model armour to ask for their sons' vigorous growth.
春の祈り
春の祈り
Setsubun (節分)
Usually February 3rd
Spring, when all life sends forth its shoots
Beans, which are scattered in the Setsubun bean-throwing ritual, have long been considered to house the spirit of the harvest, and to symbolise the source of life. By scattering beans at demons, we cleanse impurities. On Setsubun, in order to sweep away ill fortune, people scatter beans while chanting "Oni wa soto, Fuku wa uchi" ("Demons outside, Fortune within") to drive demons away, and place a holly branch with a sardine head impaled on it at the gate to their house.
"Setsubun" originally referred to the days before the official start of each season, and thus happened four times a year. However, on the old luni-solar calendar the official start of spring, Risshun (立春), normally fell close to the start of the new year, and was called Risshun-Shōgatsu, the start of the seasonal year. As a result, the Setsubun before Risshun came to be particularly important, and was associated with purification ceremonies and rites to drive out evil, such as bean throwing.
Setsubun Facts
With the coming of spring, all living things — grasses, trees, and animals included — start to grow again. After the bean-throwing ceremony, participants traditionally eat a number of beans equal to their age plus one, to bring good health and fortune for the year ahead. Setsubun can be said to be a manifestation of the wisdom and prayers of our ancestors, a way to sweep away the dark, shut-in feeling of winter and welcome the new spring.
節分
節分
Hinamatsuri (Doll Festival), Momo-no-Sekku (桃の節句)
March 3rd
For the Hinamatsuri at the beginning of March, beautiful dolls are displayed and peach blossoms and diamond-shaped rice cakes are offered to celebrate the growth of girls.
In ancient Japan, the event was a purification ceremony in which a girl's impurity was transferred to a "hitogata", a paper doll cut in the shape of a human being, which was touched to her body and then cast into a river or the sea to carry the impurity away. Over time, the hitogata became more elaborate, until it developed into today's gorgeous hina dolls. In the early modern period (seventeenth to nineteenth centuries), the custom of displaying the dolls, peach blossoms, and diamond-shaped rice cakes developed as a Girls' Festival, which was also called "Momo-no-Sekku" ("Peach Festival").
Hinamatsuri Facts
It is said to be good luck to put the hina dolls out on the day after Setsubun. On the other hand, putting them up on the day before the Hinamatsuri is called "One night display", and is thought to be bad luck.
On this day, people drink white sake and enjoy clam soup.
ひなまつり
桃の節句
ひなまつり
桃の節句
Spring Equinox (春分の日）
Around March 21
Around March 21, the sun rises due east and sets due west, making the length of day and night the same.
This day is called "Spring Equinox Day," and the seven-day period beginning on this day is known as "higan (彼岸)," when people pay their respects to the spirits of their ancestors and visit their graves. The Imperial Palace holds Shunki-Kōrei-Sai (春季皇霊祭), a ritual honouring the spirits of past Tennō (天皇, emperors of Japan).
Spring Equinox Facts
Higan happens twice a year, at the spring and autumn equinoxes. On both occasions, offerings are made to the spirits of the ancestors: "botamochi" in spring and "ohagi" in autumn. However, these are the same thing: rice cakes covered with sweetened red beans, soybean flour, or sesame seeds. They simply have different names in the different seasons. "Botamochi" is named for "botan" (peony), a spring flower, while "ohagi" is named after "hagi" (bush clover), an autumn flower.
春分の日
春分の日
花見
Cherry Blossom Viewing (Ohanami)
Under the flower-laden branches, the Japanese enjoy their beloved cherry blossoms
The Japanese express the deep feelings of closeness that they have for cherry blossoms by spreading out lunch boxes in the shade of the branches, drinking sake, and enjoying time together.
It is said that the origins of cherry blossom viewing are found in the distant past. When the weather finally became warmer after the cold and dark of winter, people would go to eat and drink outside, in the mountains or on the plains, sweeping away the last of the shut-in feeling of the cold months as they welcomed the spring. Cherry trees have always grown wild in the mountains and valleys of Japan, and have been part of Japanese life for centuries. Indeed, "ohanami" just means "flower viewing" — if you do not specify the flower, you mean cherry blossoms. This is because the cherry tree was thought to be the dwelling place of the kami of rice, and a source of the basic force of life. Indeed, the Japanese word for cherry trees, "sakura", means "dwelling ("kura") of the rice ("sa")". Since ancient times, people have made offerings to the spirit of rice dwelling in these trees to pray for that year's rice harvest.
花見
Tango-no-sekku (端午の節句)
Boys' Festival
Just as "Momo-no-sekku" is for giirls, "Tango-no-sekku" is the boys' festival.
Iris, mugwort, and chimaki are offered, which is said to drive away evil spirits. Iris leaves are are placed on the eaves of houses and in the bath, and this is said to purify the area of evil influences. The Japanese for "iris" is "shōbu", which has the same pronunication as words meaning "contest" and "military prowess", and this led to a tradition of displaying model armour and samurai dolls to pray for the success of boys in their careers. Carp streamers are also flown, because the carp is another traditional symbol of advancement.
May marks the seasonal change from spring to summer, when people tend to be tired and prone to illness. It is also the beginning of rice-planting season, the busiest time of the agricultural year. To prepare for this period, it was important to ward off evil influences, and build up a healthy level of energy. Tango-no-sekku was the way our ancestors got through this period.
Tango-no-sekku Facts
The leaves of the oak tree are said to be good luck, because the old leaves do not fall off until the new leaves have appeared. This makes it a symbol of continuity from one generation to the next, and of the prosperity of a family lineage. In the early modern period, a custom started of eating rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves on Tango-no-sekku, and it is still observed today.
端午の節句
端午の節句
Summer is when the young leaves take on a deeper colour, and the crops grow most vigorously.
On the last day of June, the turning point of the year, the Summer Great Purification (Nagoshi-no-Ōharae, 夏越の大祓) is performed at jinja across Japan. In this ritual, the body and soul are cleansed of the impurities born from the sins and mistakes we have committed without even noticing.
On Tanabata (七夕, July 7th), people write their wishes on strips of paper and hang them on bamboo, while searching for the stars in the night sky.
Obon (お盆) is an important time for thinking of our ancestors and our families. The whole family and all the relatives gather, lighting Obon lanterns to welcome the spirits of our ancestors, and honour them together.
夏の祈り
夏の祈り
Tanabata Festival
Wish Upon a Star Prologue to the Obon Festival
The Tanabata Festival is also known as the Tanabata-no-Sekku, like the Momo-no-Sekku and Tango-no-Sekku. Bamboo and bamboo grass hung with wishes written on narrow strips of paper is a classic scene of the Japanese summer.
Originally, Tanabata was a harvest festival to give thanks for the growth of food, and an event at which a young woman known as the Loom (tanabata) Woman wove clothes for the spirits of the ancestors before they were welcomed at Obon, and offered them on a shelf (tana), purifying body and soul before inviting the ancestral spirits. In time, the "Star Festival" was introduced from the continent, commemorating the Weaver Star and Herdsman Star, lovers who were said to be able to meet across the Milky Way only once a year, together with the custom of praying for improvement of skills both practical and artistic. Together, these transformed Tanabata into its current form, where wishes are written on thin strips of paper and hung on bamboo or bamboo grass with a prayer that they will be granted.
Tanabata Facts
Tanabata decorations are traditionally prepared on the evening of the sixth, and hung on the eaves of the house. Further, it is said to be most correct to put them away on the morning of the seventh.
In some regions of Japan, the event is celebrated in August.
七夕祭り
七夕祭り
Doyō-no-Ushi-no-Hi (土用の丑の日)
Around July 21st
Ancestral Wisdom for Surviving Summer
The term "Doyō" originally referred to the eighteen days before the official beginning of each season, but these days the term particularly refers to the period before the official start of autumn, around July 20th to August 7th. Historically, the days are named after animals on a cycle of twelve, and one of those is the ox, ushi. The custom of eating eel (unagi) on the day of the ox (ushi) in this period has spread throughout the country. It is said to strengthen the body against the summer heat.
In many regions, other foods starting with "u" in Japanese are also eaten on this day, such as udon noodles, melon (uri), pickled plums (umeboshi), and beef (ushi). Some regions make and offer rice cakes on this day as well. Rice cakes are offered on the most significant days of the annual cycle, and so this custom demonstrates the importance of Doyō-no-Ushi-no-Hi.
土用の丑の日
土用の丑の日
Obon (お盆)
Expressing our gratitude to our ancestors through a heart praying for happiness
July 13th to 16th and August 13th to 16th.
Obon and New Year's Day are the two most important events of the year. In general, Obon events are held between the 13th and 16th of July, but in some regions they are held in August.
The custom of venerating the spirits of our ancestors is rooted in native Japanese culture from before the arrival of Buddhism. People offered both their thanks and their prayers to those spirits. Later, it was combined with a Buddhist festival to pray for the dead, known as "Urabon-e" (盂蘭盆会). During the Obon period, ceremonies are performed to welcome the spirits of ancestors who have returned to the home, and to see them off on their return to the lands of the dead.
The Flow of Obon Events
1. Make a Bondana (盆棚)
A bondana is an altar to which the ancestors are welcomed, and at which they are honoured. In the past, one often saw four pillars woven of bamboo and bamboo grass placed in a tatami-mat room, with a table placed underneath them. These days, however, it is normal to set up a small table, and place reiji (霊璽, memorial tablets for the dead) and seasonal offerings on it.
2. Light fires to greet the spirits and bid them farewell.
On the evening of the thirteenth, we light a fire called "ogara" before the gate or front door to welcome our ancestors, burning hemp stalks, rice straw, and split pine logs. This is called "mukaebi" (迎え火). On the 15th or 16th (depending on the region), the ogara is lit again as an "okuribi" (送り火) to see the spirits off once more.
3. Launching the Spirits Away (Shōrōnagashi, 精霊流し)
In the tradition of Shōrōnagashi, the offerings and decorations were taken from the bondana after the oburubi had been lit, and placed in a bon boat. This boat was sent away down a river or out to sea before dawn. These days, however, this tradition is only maintained in a few areas.
お盆
お盆
When autumn dyes the fields and mountains with its hues, we thank the kami for the harvest.
On September 9th, Chōyō-no-Sekku (重陽の節句), jinja across Japan host displays of chrysanthemums, which are believed to bring good luck.
Further, the night of the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the old luni-solar calendar, which normally falls in September, is called "Jūgoya", which simply means "fifteenth night". On the old calendar, this night is always the full moon, and people offer tsukimi dango (moon-viewing dumplings) and susuki grass in gratitude for the harvest.
On the Autumn Equinox, around September 23rd, people visit the graves of their ancestors, and as autumn advances shichigosan ("seven five three") ceremonies are held to celebrate the growth of children. The sight of children clutching their chitose-ame sweets in the jinja grounds is charming.
秋の祈り
秋の祈り
秋の祈り
秋の祈り
Jūgoya Facts
It is traditional to enjoy the full moon of the night of the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the old luni-solar calendar and the almost-full moon of the thirteenth day of the ninth month (normally in October) — this day is called "Jūsan'ya", or "thirteenth night". In addition to tsukimi dango and susuki grass, chestnuts and edamame beans are offered, together with, in some regions, rice cakes made from newly harvested rice. Because of these offerings, these days are also known as "Chestnut Moon" or "Bean Moon".
It is thought that Jūgoya celebrates the harvest of vegetables, while Jūsan'ya celebrates the rice harvest.
十五夜
十五夜
Autumn Equinox
Around September 23rd
The seven days around the Autumn Equinox are also known as "Higan" (彼岸), and form a pair with the same custom around the Spring Equinox. Households honour the spirits of their ancestors, and visit their graves.
As seen in the Japanese saying "Heat and cold alike last until Higan", this period marks the transition from summer to autumn. This is often thought of as a Buddhist custom, but references to the veneration of the spirits of ancestors in the Kojiki, an ancient Japanese text, show that the practice is based on native customs that existed before the arrival of Buddhism in Japan. The Shūkikōreisai, a ceremony honouring the spirits of past Tennō (emperors) is held in the Imperial Palace on this day.
秋分の日
秋分の日
New Year's Eve brings the year to a close. On this day, Ōharae (大祓, Great Purification) is conducted in many jinja.
In advance of that day, many households thoroughly clean their homes to welcome Toshi-gami, place kadomatsu (門松, decorations including pine branches and bamboo) at the entrance, and decorate the front door with shimekazari (しめ飾り, new year decorations based on woven straw).
Once night falls, the whole family gathers to eat toshikoshi soba (long noodles for the new year), remember the year that is coming to an end, and wait for the arrival of the new year.
When the new year opens, we go to our Ujigami (氏神, local jinja) and pray for safety and happiness in the New Year.
冬の祈り
冬の祈り
冬の祈り
Twelfth Month Great Purification
The custom of purification lets us close out the old year and welcome the new one in a clean and fresh spirit.
Six months after the Nagoshi-no-Ōharae performed at the turn of the year, the "Shiwasu-no-Ōharae" is performed on the last day of the year, and the impurities of our body and soul, born from the sins and mistakes we have committed without even noticing, are purified by being transferred to paper dolls (hitogata), which are carried away by rivers or the sea. "Shiwasu" is the old Japanese name for the last month of the year.
As Nagoshi-no-Ōharae is a comprehensive purification of the first half of the year in preparation for obon, so shiwasu no ōharae is a comprehensive purification of the whole year, particularly the latter half, in preparation for welcoming Toshi-gami.
師走の大祓式
師走の大祓式
What do we mean by "Toshi-gami"?
Toshi-gami is the kami who comes to bring in the new year, and is also known as "Shōgatsu-sama", after another name for the new year period. Toshi-gami is also said to be an ancestral spirit in some sense. The obon rituals to welcome the ancestors and the New Year rituals to welcome Toshi-gami are the most important events of the year.
年神様って
なんだろう？
歳神様って
なんだろう？
New Year's Eve (Ōmisoka (大晦日) and Joya (除夜))
The night that links the old and new years
The last day of December is called "Ōmisoka", and its night, the night that both ends the old year and begins the new, is called "Joya".
The custom of staying up all night on Joya was born from people's reverent desire to welcome Toshi-gami, and to see the old year become the new with their own eyes. This custom continues today.
The period from the beginning of December to the end of the year is busy with events large and small to prepare for the New Year, such as the susuharai cleaning, and pounding rice to make mochi rice cakes. In each of these ceremonies we carry on the spirit of our ancestors, who met every change of the seasons with gratitude and prayer.
大晦日・除夜
大晦日・除夜
New Year's Day
January 1st: Hatsumōde, the opening day of the year, the day to welcome Toshi-gami.
January 1st is called "ganjitsu (元日)", and its morning is called "gantan (元旦)", and regarded as particularly important.
The heart of the events for New Year is welcoming and hosting Toshi-gami. The preparations start at the end of the previous year, hanging shimenawa (しめ縄, sacred rice straw ropes), setting up kadomatsu, and offering kagami mochi (鏡餅, disc-shaped rice cakes) and sake to venerate the kami.
Hatsumōde, the first visit to a jinja in the year, also begins on gantan, and the grounds of jinja are always bustling with many people paying their respects. We should be grateful to our ancestors for watching over us, and visit our local jinja or one we feel a personal tie to in order to reflect on the year just gone and pray that we will be able to pass the new year with a limpid spirit.
New Year Facts
Kadomatsu
The custom of placing kadomatsu, centred on pine branches, on either side of the gate at New Year arose from the ancient belief that the kami dwelt in the rich foliage of evergreen trees. Willow, chestnut, oak, sakaki, and bamboo are used in addition to pine.
Kagami Mochi
The kagami mochi is also one of the items in which Toshi-gami dwells. It is decorated in a way that varies from one region to another, but a common form has a stand with a sheet of paper laid over it, with a small kagami mochi sitting on a large one. The mochi and stand are then decorated with various kinds of leaves and foods such as chestnuts and lobster that are thought to be auspicious, and often topped with a satsuma.
元旦・初詣
元旦・初詣
Winter Solstice
Around December 22nd
Prayers for spring and the rebirth of the sun
The winter solstice marks the point where the sun is furthest south of the equator — the day is shortest and the night is longest. The date varies from year to year, but it is around December 22nd. Before the new year of the current solar calendar was widely accepted, the winter solstice was taken as the point of departure for the sun's journey, and celebrated as the rebirth of the sun, because from this point the days start getting longer.
Winter Solstice Facts
On the winter solstice, people eat pumpkin and soak in a bath with yuzu (a citrus fruit) floating in it to pray for good health. This offering of seasonal foods is a prayer for the rebirth of the sun, and in receiving them together people express their hope that the power of the kami will fill their bodies. Yuzu is a winter fruit with a strong aroma, and it is believed that evil influences will not arise within that powerful fragrance. In addition, from a nutritional standpoint, pumpkin and yuzu are rich in vitamins, and can help prevent colds.
冬至
冬至
Otoshidama (お年玉)
"Tama" means both "a round object" and "a soul", and so people used to give the round kagami mochi, in which Toshi-gami dwelled, to children at the beginning of the year, both as a treat and as a prayer for their safe growth. These days, we give money instead (and coins are also round, and called "tama"), but it is best to first place the money before the kami and offer our thanks and prayers, before giving the money to the children one by one in the kami's presence.
お年玉
お年玉
Jinjitsu-no-Sekku (人日の節句)
7th January: The Seven Herbs and Good Health
In Japan today, the custom of eating seven particular herbs (seri, nazuna, gogyō, hakobe, hotokenoza, suzuna, and suzushiro) in a rice porridge called nanakusagayu (七草粥, which means "seven herb rice porridge") is well known, but originally the Japanese would offer newly-sprouted fresh herbs to the kami and then eat them themselves in a prayer for a rich harvest. (Under the old calendar, this event happened around the middle of February, when things are starting to grow.)
On the continent there was a custom of consuming a soup of seven herbs on the seventh day of the first month, the day on which people's fortunes for the year were told, in a prayer for good health. This custom was passed on to Japan and combined with the native custom to create the tradition of nanakusagayu.
Seven Herb Facts
The most famous collection of traditional Japanese poetry, the Hyakunin Isshu (百人一首, 100 Poems by 100 Poets), includes a poem by an early Emperor, Kōkō Tennō, in which he describes the snow falling on his sleeves as he goes out to gather the new leaves.
人日の節句
七草粥
人日の節句
七草粥
Kagami-biraki (鏡開き)
The mochi rice cake that housed the kami is shared by the whole family on January 11th.
The kagami mochi is the dwelling place of Toshi-gami for the new year period, and it is normally taken down on January 11th. It is divided among the family who eat it with sweet or savoury soup in order to share the power of the kami.
The rice cake is split by hand or with a mallet, not with a knife, and this is called "kagami-biraki" ("mirror opening") or "kagami-wari" ("mirror splitting"). This marks the end of the New Year season and its sequence of events.
Kagami-biraki Facts
The kagami-biraki celebration also bids farewell to Toshi-gami, who was welcomed at the beginning of the year. The custom of burning old ofuda and omamori, along with shimekazari, on January 15th, in ceremonies called "sagichō (左義長)" or "dondoyaki (どんど焼き)", depending on the region, has a similar significance.
鏡開き
鏡開き
Events that Symbolise Japanese Culture and Seasons
Each matsuri is a prayer of gratitude to the kami asking for a bountiful harvest, prosperity, or land development. They have been passed on from generation to generation as events that symbolise the customs and seasons of Japan.
日本の文化と季節
を象徴する行事
日本の文化と季節
を象徴する行事
日本の文化と季節を
象徴する行事
Matsuri of Okuni Jinja
Grand Matsuri (Reisai, 例祭): April 18th
Dondoyaki Matsuri (どんど焼き祭): Sunday after January 15th
Bow Festival (Oyumihajime-sai, お弓始祭): January 17th
Setsubun-sai (節分祭): February 3rd
Hatsukinoene-sai (初甲子祭): The first Kinoene day (of the traditional sixty day cycle) to fall after February 4th.
Kinen-sai (祈年祭): February 18th
Presenting New Ujiko to the Kami (氏子入り奉告祭), Offering Junidan-bugaku (十二段舞楽奉奏): Saturday and Sunday closest to April 18th
Ōharae-shiki (大祓式): June 30th and December 31st
Niiname-sai (新嘗祭): November 23rd
Tsukinami-sai (月次祭): 1st and 18th of each month
Other matsuri are also performed.
Various ceremonies, rituals, and events are held throughout the year at Okuni Jinja, including the Junidan-bugaku, a national Importart Intangible Folk Cultural Property, and the Taasobi-sai, a nationally designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
お祭り
お祭り
Various ceremonies, rituals, and events are held throughout the year at Okuni Jinja, including the Junidan-bugaku, a national Importart Intangible Folk Cultural Property, and the Taasobi-sai, a nationally designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
