The 21st of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms
【Daisetsu (Major Snow)】
The arrival of winter.
The mountain peaks are covered in snow, and snow begins to fall on the plains.
As the name suggests, news reports show heavy snowfall in northern regions and on the Japan Sea side. As we enter Shiwasu, when even "masters run" (meaning everyone is busy), and winter deepens, the sound of the year-end approaching can soon be heard. The day to begin preparations for the New Year period is called "Oshogatsu Koto Hajime" (Starting New Year's Preparations).
■【Oshogatsu Koto Hajime (Starting New Year's Preparations)】
Oshogatsu Koto Hajime, since the Edo period, has been celebrated annually on December 13th as the day to begin New Year's preparations. It is said to be a "good day to start things" and has been considered the right time to prepare for the Toshigami-sama (New Year's deity).
In the past, people would start preparing for the New Year from this day, going to the mountains to gather wood and bamboo needed for the New Year, such as for kadomatsu (pine decorations) and firewood for cooking ozoni (New Year's soup), thus shifting their lifestyle.
Today, many annual events and traditional customs have become more convenient, and there are many things that are no longer necessary or customs that are no longer practiced as they once were. People no longer go into the mountains for firewood, and many people now do not make osechi ryori (New Year's food) or pound mochi. Have you ever felt that "how we spend New Year's has changed" compared to your childhood? The impression that the New Year is a huge event seems to have faded compared to the past, with many stores closed during the first three days (or at least on January 1st), family gatherings becoming smaller, and formal greetings like New Year's cards being omitted. We now live in an era where we work busily until the end of the year and, within limited time, can choose from various options to suit our lifestyle. However, when we begin year-end cleaning to remove a year's worth of dirt and prepare decorations for the entrance, I believe that the essence of human life remains unchanged, both in the past and present.
Feeling and enjoying the seasons in life.
Living within the seasons.
The year-end and New Year period is filled with gratitude for safely completing another year and joy for welcoming a new one. As we dust off a year's worth of accumulated grime, let us be conscious of living alongside culture, take a moment to breathe deeply, and welcome the new year.
Just a little more left of this year.
The next solar term after 【Daisetsu (Major Snow)】 is finally 【Toji (Winter Solstice)】.
This is the time of year with the shortest daylight hours. When daylight hours shorten, people tend to have less vitality. With the added busyness of the year-end, it's easy to get sick, so let's manage our health from now on to prepare for the final sprint of the year.
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The Seventy-Two Micro-Seasons of 【Daisetsu】 are expressed as follows:
First Micro-Season ＜The 61st Micro-Season: "Sora samuku fuyu to naru" (Sky closed, winter sets in)＞
The time when the sky is closed off by clouds, and real winter sets in.
The sky transforms into a midwinter sky, as if heavy winter clouds are covering it.
Second Micro-Season ＜The 62nd Micro-Season: "Kuma ana ni komoru" (Bears hibernate in their dens)＞
The time when bears enter their dens for hibernation.
As the cold truly sets in, mountain animals gradually begin their hibernation.
Incidentally, bears are said to "go into winter sleep" because their hibernation is a very light sleep, and they occasionally wake up.
Third Micro-Season ＜The 63rd Micro-Season: "Sake no uo muragaru" (Salmon gather)＞
The time when salmon, born in rivers and gone to sea, return to the rivers to spawn.
From the natural scene of the second micro-season, "Bears hibernate in their dens," one can imagine a grizzly bear catching salmon swimming upstream and holding it in its mouth. While this is a familiar sight from documentaries and wooden carvings, in Hokkaido around this time, grizzly bears are already hibernating, and the salmon run is nearing its end.
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As we enter Shiwasu, when even "masters run" (meaning everyone is busy), and winter deepens, the sound of the year-end approaching can soon be heard.
The next solar term after 【Daisetsu (Major Snow)】 is finally 【Toji (Winter Solstice)】.
This is the time of year with the shortest daylight hours. When daylight hours shorten, people tend to have less vitality. With the added busyness of the year-end, it's easy to get sick, so let's manage our health from now on to prepare for the final sprint of the year.
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【Hare to Kuraku's New Year】is here ▼
New Year's decorations that you'll want to display, and tableware that adds color to the New Year, are appearing one after another!
