24 solar terms 21st
[Heavy snow]
The arrival of winter.
The mountain peaks are covered with snow, and snow falls on the plains.
As the saying goes, there are reports of heavy snowfall in the northern regions and the San'in region. As winter deepens and we enter December, a time when the masters also run, we will soon begin to hear the footsteps of the end of the year. There is a day called ``Oshogatsu ji Hajime'', which marks the beginning of preparations for the New Year holidays.
■[Start of New Year's events]
"Shogatsu-ji Hajime" has been celebrated on December 13th every year since the Edo period as the day when preparations for the New Year begin. It is said to be a good day to start things, and has been seen as a time to prepare for the new year's festival.
In the past, people would change their lives from this day by starting preparations for the New Year's holidays and going to the mountains to collect wood and bamboo needed for the New Year, such as firewood for cooking kadomatsu and ozoni.
Nowadays, many annual events and traditional events have become so convenient that they no longer need to be done or are no longer practiced as they were in the past. People don't go into the mountains to collect firewood, and now there are many people who don't make New Year's dishes or make mochi pounding.
Have any of you ever thought that the way you spend New Year's has changed compared to when you were little?
Many stores are closed on the third day of the month (at least on the first day of January), the gatherings of relatives during the New Year are smaller, and formal greetings such as New Year's cards are no longer used. I think the impression of it as a big event has faded.
We live in an era where people are busy working until the end of the year and can choose from a variety of options to suit their lifestyle within the limited time they have. However, when we start cleaning at the end of the year to remove the year's dirt and prepare the decorations for the entrance, we realize that the essence of human life remains the same as it was then.
Feel and enjoy the seasons in your life.
Living in the seasons.
The year-end and New Year holidays are filled with gratitude for the successful completion of the year and the joy of welcoming a new year. This year, while dusting off the dust of the past year, I want to be conscious of the fact that we live next to culture, take a deep breath, and welcome another new year.
This year is another year, and there's only a little more left.
[The next seasonal season after the heavy snowfall is finally [Winter Solstice]
When daylight hours are the shortest in a year. As daylight hours become shorter, humans also tend to lose their vitality. The busyness of the end of the year can make it easier to get sick, so take care of your health now and prepare for the last spurt of the year.
The 72 signs of [heavy snow] are expressed as follows.
The first season <61st season: Obstructed winter (sorasamukufuyutonaru)]
The sky is covered with clouds and winter is in full swing.
The sky turns into a mid-winter sky, as if heavy winter clouds are blocking it.
Second candidate <62nd candidate "Kumana Nanikomoru">
This is the time when bears go into their holes and begin to hide out for the winter.
When the weather gets really cold, animals living in the mountains gradually go into hibernation.
By the way, bears are said to be "winter hibernators" because they sleep in a very light sleep and only occasionally wake up.
Last Descendant <63rd Descendant "Sake-no-Uo Muragaru">
This is the time when salmon that are born in rivers and float down to the sea return home to spawn.
Looking at the natural scenery from the next ``Kumata-ana'' hole, you can see a brown bear catching a salmon swimming upstream and holding it in its mouth. It is a familiar sight seen in documentaries and wooden carvings, but in Hokkaido, brown bears have already entered winter hibernation and the salmon run is coming to an end.
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As winter deepens and we enter December , a time when the masters also run, we can almost hear the footsteps of the end of the year.
[The next seasonal season after the heavy snowfall is finally [ Winter Solstice]
When daylight hours are the shortest in a year. As daylight hours become shorter, humans also tend to lose their vitality. The busyness of the end of the year can make it easier to get sick, so take care of your health now and prepare for the last spurt of the year.