Busy life resumes after end of New Year’s holidays in Japan

Jan. 15, 2010

Busy life resumes after end of New Year’s holidays in Japan


Japanese people are returning to their busy life with worldly cares from the New Year’s holidays. The “dondoyaki” or “dondonyaki” fire festival comes at the end of a string of traditional events and customs for the New Year’s season. The festival is held at shrines, big and small, in various regions and communities around Jan. 15. The event originates from an ancient court rite called “Sagicho” which later spread among the people and became their New Year’s custom.
The holiday season at the start of the year can be defined in many ways. The first day of January is a national holiday in Japan, but government offices and many company offices will close until Jan. 3 and restart their business on Jan. 4. People remove New Year’s decorations placed at the entrance of their houses as a sign to receive the “toshigami” god of the year on Jan. 7. People also eat rice gruel containing the “nanakusa” seven spring herbs on Jan. 7. Then comes the fire festival, which tells people it is time to wind up the festive mood and return to their ordinary life. Many people, young and old, gather with traditional New Year’s decorations made of wood, paper, straws and others and burn them while thanking for the beginning of the good year. Children carry with them branches with small red, green and white balls of rice cakes stuck and broil them with the fire. It is traditionally said that rice cakes broiled with the fire promise good health for the year.

How happy that friends like us cluster together for the fun of it
at the beginning of the New Year!
(A personal translation)

This is a waka poem composed by Prince Funado at a New Year’s party held for his followers. The bright, clear poem was included in Manyoshu, Japan’s oldest waka poem anthology, which was compiled in the late eighth century. Funado was born as an emperor’s grandson, but he got involved in a power struggle and died in prison in 757.
People see their schedule books filled with many jobs and events toward the second half of January. People at businesses are preoccupied with compiling figures for results for the fourth quarter and projecting targets for the fiscal year beginning April. Japan’s parliament will be convened into an ordinary session early next week. Young people are also having an important time for their future this month. About 550,000 high school students will receive nationwide, unified university entrance exams from Jan. 16 to 17. Job-seeking university students are busy writing and sending resumes to companies and organizations amid the unfavorable economic climate. The situation is particularly serious for those who have found no jobs with only two months before their graduation in March.
A recent government survey shows that job offers as of Dec. 1 came at a record low of 73 pct for university students graduating this March. It is hoped that the series of traditional New Year’s events will spirit them up and help explore their path in the future.