Joya-no-Kane (New Year's Eve series 1)

"Joya-no-Kane" or "the New Year's Eve bell"

Hi. Two days to the New Year.

Today and tomorrow, the theme of the blog is "New Year's Eve series."😉

December 31st, or New Year's Eve, is called "Omisoka" in Japanese. We call the last day of each month "misoka," and the last day of the year is great "misoka" or "Omisoka."

It is traditional that Japanese people spend "Omisoka" with family members by waiting all night for "Toshigami-sama" to visit their home. And it is also a tradition that people hear the "Joya-no-kane" or "the New Year's Eve bell" ringing to welcome the new year. Around midnight on New Year's Eve, the temples all over Japan ring their bells 108 times. (To be precise, the bell is rung 107 times during New Year's Eve, and one last time past midnight.) The number 108 symbolizes the number of "bonno" or earthly desires, which we must overcome to achieve "nirvana." Buddhist monks ring the bells 108 times to expel "bonno," so that we can start the New Year with a brand new attitude.

Some people visit their local temples to listen to "Joya-no-kane" ringing. We can also watch the bell of a temple ringing on the TV program "Yuku-toshi Kuru-toshi" or "Ring in, Ring out." Or some temples live stream the bells' ringing on YouTube😉