The most significant holiday in Japan is the New Year. As such, there is an incredible variety of traditions. This year, I’ve been invited to a grand feast by a local restaurant owner and friend. I struggle to recognize any of the food I’m eating, but I can attest that even though some of it was absolutely bizarre — for example, raw fish testicles in ponzu sauce — all of it was delicious. The Japanese have a litany of foods that have a metaphoric or spiritual symbolism.
For example, a common dish for the New Year is shrimp. The shape of the shrimp symbolizes a long life where your back eventually curves from old age. Another common dish is tai, or sea bream, which is a play on words of medetai, to celebrate. Another being herring fish roe, which symbolizes fertility. Besides the dish being literal fish eggs, the fish’s name in Japanese is nishin, which is another play on words that means two parents. The list goes on. Even the Japanese have trouble keeping up with all the culinary metaphors.
Once we’ve had our fill, we go to the local Buddhist temple to ring the bell, a practice known as joya no kane. As we approach the temple, my friend explains to me that the bell will be rung a total of 108 times. Each strike of the bell represents one of the 108 earthly desires. You thought The Seven Deadly Sins were bad, wait till you hear about the 108 vices of Buddhism. By ringing the bell, we are purified and able to start the New Year anew. The local monk assists me with striking the giant bell. I feel the cleansing resonance rush through me.
The next destination is the nearby Shinto shrine to practice hatsumoude, the first visit to a shrine of the year. It’s worth briefly mentioning that Japan has a complicated relationship with religion. In the past, there were clearer distinctions between Shinto and Buddhist sects, however in modern times the two have become somewhat an admixture to the modern Japanese person. Be that as it may, the vast majority still practice the rituals even if they have been estranged from the deeper spiritual connotations.
We enter the shrine to the side of the giant Tori gate, for to enter through the centre is a faux pas. That is reserved for the Gods. In the winter’s twilight, the shrine is serene. I quietly make my way to the large, braided rope attached to jingle bell that dangles from the ceiling of the shrine’s antechamber. I throw my five-yen coin in the donation box, give the bell a good shake to notify the local God I am here, bow twice, then clap twice, then hold another longer bow while I pray. After this we grab our fortune for the year, omikuji.
I’m happy to inform you, dear reader, that this year I’m going to be lucky. Happy New Year!
Wetaskiwin and Ashoro, Japan have been official twin cities since 1990 when the Wetaskiwin Ashoro Friendship Affiliation Agreement was signed.
