NYJapan

New Year at Ikuta Shrine, Kobe City, Japan Even though the weather is cold, many, many people come to the shrine on New Year's Day. See pictures from 2011's New Year at the Shrine.

The most important holiday in Japan is New Year's. Starting around mid-December, the house, school, workplace are all cleaned. It is a time to purify everything so that a new start can be made with the beginning of the new year.

Special foods are part of the celebration, and since the stores are all closed the first three days of the New Year's holiday, people need to purchase and prepare things in advance. One of the most popular fish is the Sea Bream or Red Snapper. Akashi's Uonotana street is where many will go to find the specialty foods they desire.


 * [[image:http://www.globaldreamers.org/08winter/jpn3/01.jpg width="225" height="300"]] || In the New Year are Kadomatsu; seen here are large ones outside shops. This traditional NewYear's Ikebana consists of pine (long life), bamboo (strong, sturdy-prosperity), and plum branches (patiently withstands cold-constancy). Other things may be added, but these three hold the symbolism.



**New Year's decorations** The shimenawa rope is made by twisting together strands of rice straw. It is believed to keep evil and sickness away, so on New Year's day is also hung over doorways on homes. New Year, starts off with prayer, Hatsumode, not noise and parties. It is the first visit of the year to a shrine or temple or church. Often the whole family goes together, or a group of friends, or a person may even go alone. At the shrine a person can put money in the offering box & say a prayer. Theycan buy good luck charms (on the right) or receive a fortune (left) on a tiny paper which can be ties to a tree.

Hatsumode Gallery at Ikuta shrine-Kobe

Services at the Kitano-Kobe Central Catholic church (below) include a Mass and visit to the creche (statues representing the birth of Christ and the shepherds.) From a reading at the Mass: //"God has given us his Son Jesus through the Virgin Mary. With God's Son we have become the sons and daughters of God."// || || || [|click to enlarge] || [|click to enlarge] || [|click to enlarge] ||
 * [[image:http://www.globaldreamers.org/08winter/jpn3/03.jpg width="225" height="300"]] ||^  || [[image:http://www.globaldreamers.org/08winter/jpn3/04.jpg width="225" height="300"]] ||
 * [[image:http://www.globaldreamers.org/08winter/jpn3/06.jpg width="225" height="300" caption="fortunes"]] ||^  || [[image:http://www.globaldreamers.org/08winter/jpn3/07.jpg width="225" height="169" caption="charms"]]
 * [[image:http://www.globaldreamers.org/08winter/jpn3/ch03.jpg width="225" height="169" caption="creche"]]