O-Shogatsu

​Japanese New Year

Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of Osoji?

• Sweeping away impurities

• To clean away the previous years sins

• To ward off demons that reside in the homes

• To give your home a clean slate for the new year

In Japan, Christmas is celebrated similar to America minus the religious customs. They participate in gift giving, spending time with loved ones and dressing up in festive clothes.

Japanese Christmas, however, focuses more on the decorative side of the holiday. Each year there is an illumination event where over 6 million LED lights are spread across the hillsides and streets of Japan, illuminating it in color.

KFC fried chicken is a popular food to eat during Christmas in Japan. People would have to order their chicken in advance with how busy the fast food restaurants get.

Multiple Choice

What is tradition called when you use a large mallet to pound sticky rice into mochi?

• Osoji

• Mochi-tsuki

• O-shogatsu

• Toshi-koshi

Multiple Choice

Why are the Shinto bells rung 108 times during Joya no Kane?

• To cleanse the 108 demons that plague our minds

• Represents the 108 days of peace during the Shinto war

• Represents the cleansing of 108 worldly passions

• There are 108 days in a year

​Making Japanese ink is a very long and tedious process. Because of this it very expensive, which is why Kakizome is such an important tradition.

Multiple Choice

What is Kakizome?

• The making of calligraphy ink

• The first calligraphy writing of the year

• Writing wishes in ink to Buddha

• Writing 108 words in preparation for the new year

Meri-i Kurisumasu to Hapi-i Horide-e
メリークリスマスとハッピーホリデー