Welcoming New Year

Hello! it's Tomoko
Now that Christmas day ends, people in Japan are looking forward to welcoming the New Year.

The Christmas countdown in Western countries is more like the New Year's Eve in Japan. The period between Christmas and New Year's is one of the busiest times of the year in Japan for cleaning and making Osechi,new year dishes.
How are you spending your time?

Today, I'd like to talk about the shimenawa, sacred rope, the rope that most households hang in front of their doors on New Year's Day.

The shimenawa marks the sacred place where the gods descended. It is believed that unclean things and evil spirits cannot enter the place where the shimenawa is put, and it also serves as protection against evil. The reason why shimenawa ornaments are hung at the entrance is to show that this is the house that welcomes the god of the year.

The Japanese New Year has many customs and traditions that are truly profound. When I was a child, many more people followed this custom. However, in modern times, it has become simpler and there are many things that people do without knowing the meaning of them. However, I hope that as many of these customs as possible will remain in the future.