6 celebrations this holiday season besides Christmas

While many cultures hold festivities to welcome in the new year, in Japan, the New Year (Shōgatsu) is the most important holiday in the calendar.

In the UK, the first few days of the new year can feel a bit like a post-Christmas afterthought, but for those who celebrate in Japan, New Year’s celebrations involve family get-togethers as businesses close from the 1st to the 3rd of January.

In Japanese culture, years are viewed as more distinct than in the UK, so many celebrations focus more heavily on beginning anew. On New Year’s Eve, families commonly undertake a deep cleaning of their house called oosouji, so that the coming year can start on a blank slate.

Co-workers will often attend ‘year-forgetting’ parties called bōnenkai, where they’ll drink and forget any of the year’s woes and hardships, and look forward to the next. To that end, workers are typically expected to complete all outstanding work before the year ends.

A variety of traditional foods are eaten. For example, Toshikoshi soba, a simple and healthy buckwheat noodle dish, is enjoyed on New Year’s Eve, while ozoni (mochi soup with chicken and vegetables) is enjoyed on New Year’s Day. If you’d like to have a go at cooking these dishes, Just One Cookbook have great recipes for ozoni and Toshikoshi soba.

Also served on 1st January are osechi ryori, or ‘seasonal/festive dishes’. These are an assortment of small meals, each with a special meaning. For more information on the variety of foods used in osechi ryori and their meanings, check out this article from Just One Cookbook.

On the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of January, many families follow the tradition of hatsumode – the first shrine visit of the year. Shrines and temples are extremely busy during the New Year period, with famous locations such as the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo hosting millions of visitors each day. As the new year begins at midnight, shrines across the country herald the event by ringing bells.

It’s also become common for families and friends to send each other New Year’s postcards. People send their greetings via postcards specifically marked to be delivered on 1st January, with expressions of gratitude and hope for further kindness in the new year.

You can watch a shrine bell-ringing in the video below.