New Year in Kyoto is a three day celebration of solemn prayers and joyous greetings. The day is unique to the Japanese who begin many aspects of their lives. New Year in Kyoto is an auspicious occasion, filled with traditional activities. People expects better results in the new year. As such they follow the age old Japanese custom of not carrying over any debt or important task to the new year. Businessmen try to pay-off all their dues and obligations by New Year's Eve. They try to wind up all their dealings of the old year. Non-business men too try to clean up their acts by the end of the year.
New Year in Kyoto bring a renewed zeal to clean up the house more throughly than usual and make different decorations for the new year. they prepare special food during this period. The house is throughly cleaned, taking it as cleaning the stains,physical and spiritual of the year gone by.
One the day before New year,a pine decoration is made which is called Kadomatsu on both the sides of the front entrance. Ther are elaborate Kafomatsu with bamboo added to th pine decoration. Good luck is expected by the Kadomatsu. Another decoration called the Shimenawa which is a sacred rope of straw with zig-zag strips of paper are hung. It is hubg over the front entrance to ward off "evil spirit".
Kyoto New Year also means preparation of special dishes. The dishes preapred are mostly to free the housewife from usual chores. One of the important dishes prepared during this time is Omochi, which is steamed rice, in the form of cakes, and which is eaten grilled or on a brazier or else in a soup, called Ozoni. There are offerings to the household gods. All the preparation for the new year holidays are complete by New years eve.
New Year Celebration in Kyoto starts with listening of the Joya-no-Kane, which is the midnight tooling of the bells of the temple. At the stroke of midnight on New years Eve, the great bells at japan's Buddhist temples are rung, called Tsuri-gane. In the morning, family members worship at their home at the altar of the Buddha or the Shinto. They make resolutions to keep throughout the year. Children ar presented with Otoshi-dama, which is the New Year's gift.
travel.mapsofworld.com. provides online information on New Year in Kyoto.
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