o-shÇgatsu"New Year's is one of the most important days for the Japanese. Since the Japanese continue the celebration generally until the third day of January, it is one of the most cheerful and busy weeks for the Japanese. It certainly is the most exciting and busy week for my family. |
|
"On the first day of January, Japanese people pack the local temples to pray for the new year to be filled with happiness. Like others, I dressed up in a beautiful kimono and walked to the nearby temple with my family every year. The first day of January for my family was just a relaxing day to prepare for the annual family reunion on the next day. On the second day of January, all of my father's side of the family gather at my house. The celebration for the New Year takes place in my house because my father is the oldest of the family.
"The second day of January is such a special time for me and all of my family, because many of my relatives live far away and do not get to see each other very often. Some of my relatives drive half a day just to celebrate the New Year with the rest of the Ishigaki clan. The Ishigaki family is a big family. The members of the family totals sixteen. It may not be such a big family in the United States, but it is considered very large in Japan.
"The Ishigaki family will welcome the newest member of the family on the coming New Year. The oldest of my cousins is getting married this fall, so we will be adding another powerful woman into the Ishigaki family. Since most of my cousins are boys, it will be great to have another woman to engage in conversation with, and especially, to help prepare big New Year's dishes for seventeen people.
"In the New Year family reunions, we play traditional games, eat beautifully prepared New Year's dishes, and catch up on conversation missed in the past year. Though the most important part of New Year's, especially for the children, is to get o-toshidama. O-toshidama is money given at New Year's to children by parents and relatives who come to visit. No doubt, it was the most exciting part of the New Year's for me, since I have many generous aunts and uncles.
"It is a shame for me to have missed such fun on the second day of January for the past eight years. Since I moved here, I have not been able to join in on the fun, because it is so expensive to fly back to Japan. This New Year, I will be celebrating the second day of January with only my brother. We both know that the second day of January is just not the same without the rest of the cheerful Ishigaki family. We sure will miss them this year again, and we are sure that they wish that we could be there to join in the celebration."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
