Child Research Net - Teens' Photo Project 2007/2007 NEW YEAR

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NEW YEAR

Place	:	Kyoto
Taken by	:	R. O. (Doshisha International Junior/Senior High School)

This is Osechiryori.
It is eaten on the morning of New Year's Day.
Osechiryori have many kinds.
This is food boiled and seasoned.
Contents are carrot, lotus roots, burdock,
shiitake mushroom, string bean, chicken…
Every house has an original taste,
but now a day most of houses buy Osechiryori at a shop.
It's regretable.

Also it is Osechiryori.
These are black soybean, dried Japanese anchovies
and kurikinton(it's likes sweet potato).
All of the Osechiryori have meanings.
For example, black soybeans, called "Kuromame" in Japanese. Kuromame's meaning is to live diligently.
Diligently is said "mame" in Japanese,
so part of Kuromame's mame and "diligently"
have the same sound in Japanese.

This is Kagamimochi.
It is displayed on the tokonoma.
Kagamimochi is a pile of two rice cakes
with a bitter orange on top.
Tradition says that,
"If you eat a Kagamimochi, you gave new vital energies."
Kagamimochi is a sacrifice to god, so it is sacred.

Otoshidama (New Year's gift)
When we get together with our relatives,
children get them from grown-ups.
The content is money.

This is New Year's decorative pine branches,
in Japanese "Kadomatsu".
Kadomatsu is made from pine and bamboo.
God are depend on Kadomatsu and find a temple or shrine,
then come to this word.
Usually Kadomatsu is out on a gate of temple or shrine,
but some traditional houses display a Kadomatsu
near the front door.

This is a fortune slip, in Japanese "Omikuji".
When we go to a temple or shrine,
we draw a fortune slip that tells our fortune.
Of course, I went to a temple and drew a fortune slip,
I draw a very good luck!!!!!!!!
Maybe this year I can spend a good life!!

Every country has an original New Year's event, but Japanese New Year is completely different from Foreign countries'. A first thing is term. In Europe or America, there are celebrate a moment of seeing the old year out and the New Year in. And celebrate an only January 1st, but Japan is celebrating a New Year for fifteen days. It is much longer than another country. And second thing is magnificence. In Europe or America, there are very gorgeous, sometimes there a display fireworks, but Japanese New Year is grave.
New Year's event is stand for each country's characteristic.
Japanese New Year has many conventions and customs. It is sometimes tiresome, but I like and am proud of Japanese New Year because those conventions or customs are handed down from generation to generation. Nowadays, Japan is not different from the West. Most people wear Western clothes and eat bread, pizza, hamburger…etc. It would be difficult to find "Japanesque", but at New Year we can find "Japanesque". Every convention and every custom at New Year's are peculiar to Japan. So I am proud of New Year and I want to more resound a Japanese New Year for foreign countries.

Child Research Net would like to thank the Doshisha International Junior/Senior High School and Reiko Okamoto, student and author, for permitting reproduction of this article on the CRN web site.