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Aug 10, 2023 · The way to ring the bell 108 times varies from region to region and temple to temple. There are several theories about the origin of the number 108, such as the theory of “kuzoku” (vexations), the theory of “one year,” and the theory of “four pains and eight sufferings.
- Cleansing Worldly Passions
- December Preparations
- Singing Out The Year
New Year’s Eve in Japan is known as ōmisoka. In the last moments of December 31, temple bells ring out across the nation to signal the end of one year and the start of the next. At each temple, the bells sound 108 times in a Buddhist ritual called joya no kanethat represents the cleansing of 108 worldly passions. The very last ring comes in the New...
The first week or two of the year is the shōgatsu period, when the toshigami or New Year gods are said to visit. For this reason, December preparations include major cleaning known as susuharai, or “sweeping away the soot.” Traditionally this is meant to start on December 13; busy modern lifestyles may cause some delay, but the final cleaning shoul...
One way to enjoy ōmisoka is by watching Kōhaku uta gassen, a song contest on NHK that has been broadcast every year since 1951. Teams of singers and celebrities compete in the four-and-a-half-hour show, angling for the votes of viewers and guest judges. The red team is made up of women and the white team of men, although this sharp division has bee...
Dec 31, 2020 · On the night of Dec. 31, you will probably hear the echo of at least one temple bell being rung 108 times as the new year is born. Why are the temple bells (or sometimes drums) rung 108 times? For an answer, we must look at the history of joyanokane and how it came to this country.
In the Muromachi period (1333-1573), the ringing of the temple bell 108 times in Zen temples became an event unique to Japanese Zen temples, held only on New Year's Eve, and was established as "Joya no kane".
As 108 tolls resonate through the chilly night air, they carry forward the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of not only individuals and families, but of an entire nation. Cover image: A monk in Kyoto, Japan, strikes the temple bonshō 108 times on New Year's Eve.
Feb 25, 2022 · Joya-no-Kane is the custom of ringing a temple bell on New Year's Eve in Japan. Practiced throughout the country, priests and temple visitors ring this symbolic bell 108 times to usher in the New Year. Learn more about this tradition, where to see it, and perhaps try it out yourself!
Celebrating the passing of the old year while welcoming a new one, the custom sees temple bells rung a total of 108 times, once for each of the worldly desires or anxieties central to Buddhism,...
