Chika
成人の日 – Coming of Age Day
Young people in Japan are considered to be adults when they reach 20, not 21. “Seijin no Hi” or “Coming of Age Day” is a national holiday in Japan held every year early in January. On that day we have a ceremony like a kind of collective birthday party to celebrate everyone who turned/will turn 20 sometime during the year (goes by Japanese school year system). Many female attendees wear “Furisode” for the ceremony.
雪だるま – Snowman
A snowman is called a “yuki daruma” in Japanese. “Yuki” means snow, and “Daruma” is a lucky round doll with no legs. For more information, see my posting for Daruma.
Interestingly most Japanese yuki daruma is consist of two snow balls; head & body, whereas American snowman is consist of three balls; head, upper body & lower body.
だるま – Daruma
This round doll called “Daruma” is considered a good luck charm in Japan. Daruma was the name of a Buddhist priest who sat so long meditating that his legs disappeared, which is why these dolls have no legs. But many Japanese people today just think of the Daruma doll as a good luck charm without any religious meaning. Most Daruma are made of paper and wood. Usually they are sold with blank eyes. You paint one pupil in as you make a wish, and then you paint the other pupil in when your wish comes true.
年賀状 – New Year Card
Instead of Christmas cards, we Japanese people exchange New Year Cards, or nengajo. Unlike Christmas cards, these are postcards. You can mail one anytime between December 15th ~ 25th, and the post office will deliver it on New Year’s Day. A standard Nengajo from the post office includes a lottery entry. This lotto tradition started in 1949.
おせち料理 – Osechi
Osechi is a collection of traditional Japanese New Year foods. What goes in Osechi varies from household to household and from region to region. Most typical foods are shrimp, fish roe, beans, fish cakes, root veggies, etc. We finish preparing Osechi before the New Year, box them up, and offer them to Toshigami-sama.
門松 – Kadomatsu
Kadomatsu is a New Year decoration that made out of bamboo & pine. We place them at the main entrance of a house, a store, or a building in pairs (left-hand-side and right-hand-side). We believe that a pair of Kadomatsu will be marks to lead the way for Toshigami-sama to visit the house.
年神 – Toshigami
