Ōmisoka - Customs

Ōmisoka (大 晦 日), New Year's Morning, is an important day in Japanese tradition and falls on December 31.

On that day, Japanese people are busy making preparations for the next day. They will update the house because they believed that the new year should be celebrated in a clean and fresh. Cleaning practices are called "Ôsouji" (大扫除, or "large-scale cleansing"). Primary schools do Ôsouji before closing for the winter holidays.

At the end of the day, usually at about 11 pm, has been the custom for Japanese people eat this kind of so-called "toshikoshi-buckwheat" (年越し そば) or "toshikoshi-Udon" (年越し うどん), har. "Mi across the year." Soba or Udon at the beginning is often eaten without relish but now you add the tempura dishes.

Starting at 8 pm, the national television station, NHK will begin to publish the plan "Kouhaku Utagassen" (红白 歌 合 戦, har. "Red and White Contest"). Female singers gathered in the "Akagumi", or the Red Team and the man in the White Team, or "Sirogumi. Both teams will be singing until 12 pm and the audience and judges will select the team has competed well.

A few minutes before midnight, every temple in Japan will provide Amazake (甘 酒, har. Sake (alcoholic beverages) sweet), and the public will gather mengelingi large gong to be beaten by 108 times. This number is believed to be the number of sins and bad things that happen in the human mind, and each stroke is believed to drive away the sins.

There are many activities done during Ômisoka and it was a busy day for the Japanese. However, it is important today to end a year and welcome the new year.



Source: http://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omisoka


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