But waking up in the morning on January 1, the Japanese begin to celebrate the New Year. Its occurrence has more than one thousand one hundred and eight years herald the bells of Buddhist temples. Wearing a traditional kimono, the whole family goes to church. Bring symbolic sacrifices to deities.
Back home, residents of Japan perform the ritual vakamidzu for this out of the river, well or spring to draw water and bring home in a wooden bucket. When this is done, the Japanese cast spells "draws happiness, draw a virtue, now take away all the wealth." This water washes the whole family, then they drink tea with pickled plum, eat bean soup with vegetables, chunks of chicken, fish, shrimp. In the evening, according to tradition the Japanese go to visit relatives, friends.
The giving of Christmas gifts - one of the troublesome, but nice worries. In Japan, there are two kinds of gifts. O-Seibu - gifts that give at the end of the year. These gifts give a higher downstream. And Gifts - tosidama who present directly in the new year. Children give the money they are waiting impatiently. Send gifts in beautiful packages, with calligraphic inscription of names of the sender and the recipient. New Year is the most important ritual - sending postcards on which the symbol of the coming year on the eastern calendar.
In Japan, the official output only on January 1. But celebrations and moods last for another two weeks. Everywhere utagaruta play the game, this game tests knowledge of ancient Japanese poetry. The boys run into the sky kites, little girls playing shuttlecock. In northern Japan Sapporo Snow Festival is a colorful. Snow mold of historical figures, build fortresses and cities.
Ends with the celebration of burning Christmas decorations, this Japanese fire to bake cakes. It symbolizes the expulsion of all the bad people and talent of health.