Oomisoka(大晦日)、New Year’s Eve is one of the most important days in Japan.
Oosoji(大掃除)、big cleaning is to be done before Oomisoka to remove clutter from the year and clean the home. On the process of
Oosoji, we get rid of all the negativities we have gotten in the year and prepare
ourselves to welcome a new year in the spirit of new beginning.
Eating Toshikoshi-Soba(年越そば), year-passing buckwheat
noodle around midnight of Oomishoka is one
end of the year custom. Several reasons are told why Japanese people eat
Toshikoshi-Soba. The noodle is long and thin, so it signifies living longer.. Also
the noodle is easy to cut. It symbolizes the ability to cut off the negativity
of the year.
At the midnight of New Year ’s Eve, monks in temples throughout Japan start
to strike their big bells. It is called Jyoya-no-Kane(除夜の鐘).
The bells are
rung 108 times. It is said that
108 is the number of worldly passions and desires causing
us suffer. Joya no Kane is believed to have the power to purify the people’s
mind and welcome the New Year with a refreshed feeling.
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