”Dondo-yaki"

 

"Dondo-Yaki" fire festival

Hello. It's been very cold lately. Stay warm!😆

The New Year's celebration is finally over. As the end of the new year holiday, a fire festival called "Dondo-yaki" or "Sagicho" is held on January 15th. Japanese people gather New Year's decorations and burn them in a bonfire at shrines or temples. The date is different from region to region. And it is believed that spirits of the new year god "Toshigami-sama," who visited our houses during the new year holiday, go home with the smoke. The flame and smoke are considered to drive away and cleanse the impure and evil.

The tradition of "Dondo-yaki" depends on the area, too. Some say that you can stay healthy by eating "mochi," rice cake, or "dango," dumpling, which is toasted in the fire. Another tradition is that you can protect yourself from illness if you distribute the ash around your house. And if you burn your "kaki-zome," the first writing of this year, and the fire flares up higher, you'll get better at writing.

When I see a bonfire, I feel relaxed. How about you?😊