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- Hatsu-uma originated from praying for a good harvest for the year, which was later combined with the worship of Inari (god of harvest).
www.japanesewiki.com/culture/Hatsu-uma (First Horse Day).html
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Dec 25, 2023 · In Japan, people celebrate New Year with hatsumode, the first shrine or temple visit of the year. The purpose of hatsumode is to pray for good fortune and ward off bad omens for the year ahead.
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Shōgatsu
Traditionally a term for the first month of the year, Shōgatsu nowadays refers more specifically to January 1, New Year’s Day. Customs surrounding the New Year make up the most important event in the Japanese calendar. A typical family might decorate the porch, household shrine, or ornamental alcove (tokonoma), don traditional Japanese clothing, eat ozōni, and head out to a shrine or temple for the customary hatsumōde, the first shrine visit of the year. It is also common to rise early (or st...
Seijin Shiki: Coming of Age Ceremony
The second Monday in January is a national holiday, Coming of Age Day. Around this date, most municipalities hold a ceremony to which all the local 20-year-olds are invited. Many of these young people, especially young women, attend in traditional Japanese garments such as furisode (kimono with long sleeves) and hakama (formal pleated unisex skirts worn over a kimono).
Nyūgaku Shiken: Entrance Examinations
Centralized university entrance examinations take place across Japan in mid-January, along with similar tests for the various other levels of the school system. While the number of children in the country is considered to be worryingly low, the competition for places at the most popular schools can still be exceptionally fierce, a topic which often makes the national news around this time of year.
Setsubun
Setsubun, which takes place around February 3 or 4, is a day that marks the end of winter according to the old Japanese lunisolar calendar. People customarily scatter beans around the home as a means of warding off ill fortune, chanting oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi,or “Out with demons! In with luck!”
Hatsu-uma
The first day of the horse in February is known as hatsu-uma (literally “first horse”) and is celebrated in honor of Inari, revered as the god of (among other things) fertility and agriculture. Lively festivals are held at Inari jinja, shrines to Inari, across the country. In some places, pieces of mochiare thrown into the assembled crowd.
Hinamatsuri: The Peach Festival
Hinamatsuri (“doll festival”) is a time to give thanks for the healthy growth of young girls. People decorate their houses with hina dolls, to which they make offerings of white sake, colorful arare mochi glutinous rice crackers, and peach blossoms. Two common dishes associated with this festival are chirashi-zushi, a dish with sushi toppings served on a bed of vinegared rice, and broth made with hamaguriclams.
Higan
Higan is a weeklong observance in late March, occupying the three days on either side of the spring equinox. In Japan, the periods surrounding the spring and autumn equinoxes are an important chance to visit family graves and hold memorial services for deceased relatives and ancestors. People often eat rice cakes covered in sticky, sweet bean paste, botamochi, or a seasonal variant called ohagi. (Left) A display of hina dolls. (Right) Ohagi (also called botamochi) are often eaten at Higan.
Hanami
Families on their way to elementary school entrance ceremonies are a common sight in April. The spring custom of strolling and picnicking beneath the cherry blossoms—which start to bloom in Kyūshū and west Japan from late March and move northwards across the country—is known as hanami (literally “flower viewing”). The prime season in Tokyo typically comes in early April and lasts for a week or so. Well-known hanamispots invariably become densely thronged with crowds savoring the transient bea...
Nyūgaku Shiki: School Entrance Ceremonies
The academic year starts in April, when children of all ages are welcomed to their new schools at entrance ceremonies, or nyūgaku shiki. Parents and other family members dress up smartly for the occasion. In the case of some of the larger universities, as many as 10,000 students may be present at a given ceremony.
Kanbutsue/Hana Matsuri: Buddha’s Birthday
Kanbutsue, a celebration of the birth of the Gautama Buddha, in Japan is observed on April 8. People visit shrines and temples where, in an act of reverence, they might pour sweet tea over a statuette of the Buddha mounted under an awning on a flower-decorated hanamidō altar (hence giving this day its other name, hana matsuri, “the flower festival”).
Tango no Sekku: Children’s Day
Tango no sekku, nowadays more frequently referred to as Children’s Day, is a festival held every May 5 to give thanks for the healthy growth of young boys. Carp streamers adorning the roofs of houses are a common sight around this time. Inside the home, many people display samurai figures, helmets, or armor. Many also take the opportunity to refresh themselves with a traditional bath infused with sweet flag leaves. (Left) Colorful carp streamers, flown to mark Children’s Day. (Right) Decorati...
Tsuyu: The Rainy Season
Hydrangeas, which bloom during the rainy season. The rainy season in Japan (known as tsuyu or baiu) starts around the end of spring and, in the area ranging from the north of Kyūshū up to Kanto, typically lasts from early June until mid-July. Many of the traditional festivals held in this period originally started with the aim of warding off the epidemics and agricultural pests common at this time of year. Some of the best-known examples include the Gion Matsuri in Kyoto(July 1–31) and the Te...
Peace Memorial Ceremonies, War Memorial Day
From the Peace Memorial Ceremonies in Hiroshimaand Nagasaki (August 6 and 9, respectively)—held to mark the anniversaries of the atomic bombings of the two cities in 1945—through to War Memorial Day on August 15, which commemorates the end of World War II, the national media is filled with campaigns calling for nuclear disarmament and prayers for world peace. The period is seen as an opportunity to reflect on the horrors of war and to remember those who have lost their lives in such conflicts...
Homecoming
Much like the New Year, tsukiokure Obon (see above) is an important time for families to get together. Many employers in the larger towns and cities grant their staff time off to visit parents and other relatives in their hometowns. The period is characterized by dense traffic jams and extreme crowding on all branches of the transport network, giving rise to the now commonly used term kiseirasshu (literally “homecoming rush”).
Undōkai: Sports Festivals
Elementary school students roll a giant ball at their school sports festival, or undōkai. The 1964 Tokyo Olympics began on October 10 that year. In 1966, October 10 was declared Health and Sports Day, and a national holiday has been observed on the second Monday of the month since 2000. On or around this date, many schools and municipal facilitieshold a sports festival known as an undōkai, a lively, daylong event featuring track and field competition, as well as gymnastics and dancing. Compan...
Shichi-Go-San
A young girl in traditional dress visiting a temple for shichi-go-san. For Shichi-Go-San(literally “seven-five-three”) on November 15, young girls aged three and seven and five-year-old boys are dressed in their finest clothes and taken to visit shrines. This custom is observed both to give thanks for the children’s sound growth to date and to pray for continuing good health.
Bōnenkai
Heading into December, many people get together with workmates or friends from other clubs or social groups at a bōnenkai, a party literally aimed at “forgetting the year,” or at least the hardships seen during it. It is one event at which social hierarchies and the attendant etiquette characteristic of much of Japanese life can be set aside, and all in attendance join in the revelry on an equal footing.
Kotohajime
From December 13, in a custom known as kotohajime (literally “beginning of work”), people start to prepare for the New Year by thoroughly cleaning their homes. Typical chores include the dusting of household shrines and other religious artefacts, along with procuring the necessary items to make mochiand other seasonal treats.
Christmas
Although Japan is not a traditionally Christian country, Christmas is these days widely observed as a commercial event. Children eagerly await the arrival of Santa Claus with their presents, and many homes put up Christmas trees and other decorations. Thanks to the tradition of eating Christmas cake (which in Japan usually means a strawberry cream sponge cake), Christmas Eve has in recent times become an exceptionally busy day for the nation’s confectioners. Banner photo:Crowds paying a tradi...
Dec 7, 2021 · New Year’s in Japan is highly auspicious. One of the most spiritually important events is Hatsumode, the first Shinto shrine visit of the year.
Dec 23, 2020 · Hatsumode is the Japanese tradition of visiting a shrine or temple to welcome the new year. If you're in Japan during the holidays, it's a cultural experience that definitely shouldn't be missed!
Hatsu-uma refers to the first day of the horse in February. A Hatsu-uma festival is held at Inari-sha shrines, and this is often counted as one of Japan's zassetsu (festivals other than those held on the twenty-four points of the old solar calendar, the five seasonal festivals, etc.).
‘Hatsu’ means first, and ‘mode’ implies prayer. But together, Hatsumode suggests the first prayer of the year. The people who believe in Shintoism usually go to the Shinto shrine on December 31 and wait for the New Year. When the next year begins (12 pm is over), they offer a good luck prayer.
Dec 22, 2023 · How much do you know about Japan's new year? Have you heard of Toshikoshi soba, Zōni, Osechi, Hatsu-mode, or Otoshidama? Let's take a look at some of Japan's new year customs and meals during this period.
