by MARCO CRISCIOTTI
Japan celebrates New Year with a unique spiritual tradition: 108 bell tolls purifying earthly desires that hinder happiness, marking the passage to a new year.
December 31st is a universal date of transition. Around the world, people gather to take stock of the year ending and look toward the future with new goals. This day is experienced by many with a mixture of nostalgia and hope. It’s a moment of reflection on successes and failures, difficulties and achievements, but also an opportunity to set aside the past and embark on a new beginning.
The evening unfolds in different ways: some celebrate with friends and family, others participate in parties and dinners, while some prefer a quiet evening at home, perhaps with a solitary toast. No matter how it’s experienced, midnight represents the magical moment of farewell to the old year and welcome to the new one, often accompanied by fireworks and promises of change.
In Japan, however, December 31st is a deeply spiritual moment, far from the frenetic approach that characterizes Western celebrations. The country follows a series of ancient rituals that not only mark the passage of the year, but do so with a sense of purification and spiritual preparation for the future.
The spiritual preparation of December 31st
The day of December 31st in Japan begins with the so-called “osoji,” a tradition of deep cleaning that involves all homes. This ritual aims to rid oneself of impurities accumulated throughout the year. Cleaning the house thus becomes a symbolic act of purification, to prepare it to welcome the kami, the deity that will protect the house in the new year. After cleaning, decorations are put up: “shimekazari” are hung, straw rope wreaths that mark the entrance to the house, indicating that it is ready to welcome the deity of the new year. Additionally, “kadomatsu” are positioned, symbols of longevity and strength, made with pine, bamboo and plum.
In the afternoon, families go to temples or shrines for a first purification ceremony. Here they clap their hands twice before the altar to invoke the gods, pray and offer a gift. The evening is then spent in a traditional way: kimono is worn and people return to temples to pray, express wishes and participate in the “Joya no Kane” ceremony, which marks the culmination of the evening.
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