Showing posts with label Japanese Culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japanese Culture. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Tanabata

Today, 7/7 is Japanese Start Festival!, and also related to Chinese star festival.

It celebrates the meeting of Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair). According to legend, the Milky Way, a river made from stars that crosses the sky, separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the lunisolar calendar.

In present-day Japan, people generally celebrate this day by writing wishes, sometimes in the form of poetry, on tanzaku (短冊 tanzaku), small pieces of paper, and hanging them on bamboo, sometimes with other decorations. The bamboo and decorations are often set afloat on a river or burned after the festival, around midnight or on the next day. This resembles the custom of floating paper ships and candles on rivers during Obon. Many areas in Japan have their own Tanabata customs, which are mostly related to local Obon traditions. (from wikipedia)

I did not have chance to write my wish on Tanzaku in this year... I am wishing into my heart...instead of writing.


What will you wish for Star Festival?




I just pick one picture from last summer that I was wearing Yukata, which is summer Kimono. Star Festival is like summer festival, so I just pick summer image picture.

Thank you!!!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Setsubun


Today, February 3 is Setsubun. This is one of Japanese Culture. 

What is Setsubun???

Setsubun is the day before the first day of Spring. This is associated with Lunar New Year, so today will be sort of New Year's Eve for spring. Setsubun means also to clean away all the evil of the year and drive away disease-bringing evil sprits for the year to come. For cleaning away all the evil and drive away evil sprits, we will do Mamemaki (Bean Scattering). We will say "Oni wa soto, Fuku wa uchi", and it is means that "Demon out, Luck in". We also need to eat roasted soy-beans and eat number of your age plus one for good luck and happiness. 

Honestly, I did not know that I have to eat the bean for my age plus one, so from this Setsubun, I ate the bean for my age plus one. 

If you do not understand my English explanation for Setsubun, I am so sorry. I will practice my English skills more...

Thank you very much.