Japanese New Year Celebration Traditions
Chinese new year is celebrated by chinese expats and locals alike.
Japanese new year celebration traditions. People pray for safety health good fortune and so on. Japan has many celebrations and traditions that are relatively unknown by those outside the country. The long strands of noodles symbolize the wish for long life while the firmness to the bite and ease of cutting of soba is associated with the intent to break off the year with ease.
The first day of january became the official new year s day since five years after the meiji restoration. The kadomatsu is a traditional decoration for the new year holiday. Discover both modern and traditional japanese new year s traditions.
The older family members usually give money in a small cute envelope called otoshi dama to the youngest members of the family. Other new year traditions in japan the time around the new year is traditionally spent with one s family. In addition to money it is traditional for japanese people to visit a shrine or a temple during new year s holidays.
Ushering in good fortune is the rationale behind many japanese new year traditions so it s not surprising that some dishes are designated as luck bringing ones. Joya no kane every year at the stroke of midnight on new year s eve buddhist temples all over japan ring their bonsho temple bells an even 108 times an event known as joya no kane. It s considered one of the biggest festivals in japan.
Toshikoshi soba literally year crossing buckwheat noodles are served hot on new year s eve to symbolize the cutting off of the year s misfortunes as well as wishes for good luck and long life. Shogatsu the japanese new year celebration falls on the familiar date of january 1 per the gregorian calendar but the celebration in japan is stretched out days before and after. That is why it is very common to send presents and new year greeting cards nengajo to friends and relatives.
Shogatsu is observed by enjoying many traditional foods that vary between regions in japan. New year is celebrated differently to the west and in february there is an old tradition that is still enjoyed by families groups of friends and even co workers to this day. Hagoita decorations 羽子板 hagoita is a rectangular wooden paddle originally used to play hanetsuki a type of traditional japanese badminton.