As people in Japan prepare to celebrate New Year's Day, among the most notable tasks of the season are housecleaning, which echos the timeworn ritual of susuharai ("cleaning soot from the timbers under the roof") and placing shimenawa (sacred straw rope traditionally hung at the entrance to Shinto shrines) or kadomatsu (pine and/or bamboo decorative arrangements) at the entrance of the home.
But what are the origins of these practices, and how did they become symbolic of the start of the New Year's celebrations?
These customs were born from the belief that a house prepared through cleansing and purification, and placing freshly created ornaments at its main entrance, provides a welcoming environment for deities to visit the home and bless it during the New Year's season.
(Japan Times)
As people in Japan prepare to celebrate New Year's Day, among the most notable tasks of the season are housecleaning, which echos the timeworn ritual of susuharai ("cleaning soot from the timbers under the roof") and placing shimenawa (sacred straw rope traditionally hung at the entrance to Shinto shrines) or kadomatsu (pine and/or bamboo decorative arrangements) at the entrance of the home.
But what are the origins of these practices, and how did they become symbolic of the start of the New Year's celebrations?
These customs were born from the belief that a house prepared through cleansing and purification, and placing freshly created ornaments at its main entrance, provides a welcoming environment for deities to visit the home and bless it during the New Year's season.
(Japan Times)