”Ema" votive tablet says "prayer"
Hi. How are you spending Christmas Eve?☺
Many people are busy with preparations for the new year. Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples also have a lot of things to do; one of them is the preparation of "ema" votive tablets for the worshippers' first visit of the year.
"Ema" is a small wooden tablet on which people write their wishes. And it is dedicated to a shrine or a temple. "Ema" literally stands for "a picture of a horse," and originally living horses were offered to a Shinto shrine because horses were believed to be sacred as a ride of deities. The custom gradually changed, and people started offering the picture of horse painted on the wooden plates. The shape of "ema" looks like a house because it used to be made to imitate a horse stable.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, more people request for "ema" to be mailed. What wish would you write on "ema" tablet?😃
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