Annual Events in Fukushima

January : O-shogatsu
February : Setsubun
March : Hina-Matsuri
April : Hanami
May : Taue
June : Baiu
July : Tanabata
August : Obon
September : Tsukimi
October : Kouyou
November : Shichi-Go-San
December : Dai-Ku

January : O-shogatsu

January is the start of the New Year. O-shogatsu, New Year, is the most important Japanese celebration, just as Christmas is in the West. It originally was an annual event to welcome the gods who protect families. Kadomatsu (gate pines) and Shimekazari (sacred rope), both decorations for the New Year, are prepared to invite the god. Kagamimochi (two pieces of round cake one on top of the other) is offered. During the first three days of the New Year, people visit shrines to pray for health and happiness in the coming year. O-shogatsu is also a holiday of eating and drinking with relatives. People eat Osechi-ryori, traditional food that is prepared before the holiday. Children receive Otoshidama (gifts of money) from relatives, in most cases money, and it is meant to be a gift from the god to encourage children to do their best. In Japan the New Year is really what the phrase implies “a renewal”. People greet each other by saying, “Akemasite omedetou gozaimasu”. “The very best wishes upon the opening of the New Year”.

February : Setsubun

	Setsubun signals the change of the seasons, the end of winter and the coming of spring. Setsubun is held on February 3rd or 4th, the day before spring. People open the doors of their houses and drive the demons, or bad luck, out of their homes by throwing soybeans and shouting "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi! (Devils out! Good luck in!)". People collect up and eat the same number of beans as their age, expressing the whish for good health. At the Setsubun, people who were born in the years of the twelve zodiac signs throw beans. 2000 is the year of the Dragon.
	I think Setsubun is similar to the Irish and American custom of Halloween, even though October 31. Both of them are the turn of the seasons. At Halloween, children, disguised as ghosts and witches, go from door to door asking for treats. At Setsubun, children chase and throw soybeans to red or blue demon asking for fortunes. These both rituals are great pleasures for children.	We use peanuts recently, instead of soybeans.

March : Hina-Matsuri

March 3, the day of Hina-Matsuri (Doll Festival), is Girls' Day in Japan. Families with daughters celebrate by displaying beautiful traditional dolls on a stepped shelf. They express the wish for their daughters' good health and growth. The dolls are dressed in gorgeous kimono modeled after those worn by women in the ancient Heian court.

On a display of seven steps, you see the following collection: On the top step, there is a palace with a folding golden screen. In front of this sit dolls representing the emperor (dairi) and the empress (hina). On the second step are three court ladies (sannin-kanjo). Below these there are five court musicians (gonin-bayashi). On the fourth step are two escorts (zuishin) and diamond-shaped rice cakes. On the fifth are guards (eji) carrying slippers and umbrellas. On the sixth step may be various pieces of furniture. Finally, at the bottom, may be a model of a carriage and miniature models of flowering trees.

There are some opinions about the origin of Hina-Matsuri. Someone says that Hina-Matsuri has its origins in the ancient practice of ritual purification, in which people breathed their sins onto paper dolls and threw the dolls into river, and in the custom of picnicking outdoors in the spring. The other says that the name of this festival comes from "hina", a Heian period game that used dolls, dollhouses, and models to mimic court life.

After being on display for about two weeks or so the dolls are promptly put away. Because leaving them out too long is said to result in delaying the girl's marriage.

By the way, recently one of the Japanese social problems is women's delaying marriage and lowering of the birth rate. This matter will have a big impact on future population of Japan. Why don't you promptly put the dolls away?

April : Hanami

"Hanami" means "flower viewing". It means "cherry blossom viewing" which is one of the most popular events of Japanese spring. The favorite flower of the Japanese is the cherry blossom. Whenever Japanese say "flower viewing", we don't need to mention which flower will be viewed. In spring, people go out to mountains and parks for Hanami and have a party under cherry trees.

There are many places known for their beautiful cherry blossoms in Fukushima-city. Michiyo and I go to Shinobu-yama Park every spring. Many people sit on mats under the cherry trees, eating, drinking, and singing cheerfully there. We eat "Hanami-Dango" (dumpling) at stall.

It is difficult to express the beauty of cherry blossoms in full bloom. But the pale, perfectly formed cherry blossoms last only a week on so. For the Japanese they are symbol of the fragility. They are synonymous with the transitory nature of life itself and the brief duration of youthful beauty. The subject of "Sakura" (cherry blossoms) has long held an important place in literature and the other field of arts.

Japanese in the old days poet "Kino Tomonori" wrote,
ひさかたの　ひかり　のどけき　はるのひに、しづごころなく　はなの　ちるらむ
(Hisakatano hikari nodokeki haru no hini, Sizugokoro naku hana no chiruramu.)
In the spring peaceful and calm sunlight, The cherry blossoms are falling, so quickly and restlessly.

May : Taue

Taue season has come in Fukushima. At the beginning of May, we can see the important farmwork "Taue" here and there. Taue literally means , to put rice in the field, i.e., to transplant the seedlings from the beds to their prepared fields, heavily irrigated squares of paddies. Taue is the most crucial stage of the rice growing cycle.

Rice is the major agricultural product in Japan. Since ancient times, rice has been the mainstay of the Japanese diet. As rice production was the basis of Japanese society, rice culture shaped the attitudes of the people. It's importance can be gauged by the fact that rice was the main offering to the gods, that taxes were levied in rice payments. However, Japanese eating habits have changed. Rice consumption has decreased dramatically in Japan since the early 1960s. This phenomenon maybe explained by the increased consumption of bread and other Western foods. As a result, the Japanese government has accumulated vast stockpiles of rice. But rice still occupies a central place in the life of the Japanese people.

There is an interesting sign of Taue season in Fukushima's mountain. Mt. Azuma-Kofuiji is the one of the Azuma Mountain Range surrounding Fukushima basin. It is named after Mt. Fuji because of its similar shape. During the winter, Mt. Azuma-Kofuji is completely covered with snow. But in spring, as the snow begins to melt, the remain snow takes the shape of long-eared rabbit. Because the appearance of rabbit coincides with the planting season, the ancients believed its arrival was a sign from gods to begin sowing their seed. They called this rabbit "tanemaki-usagi (the seed-sowing rabbit)". Today this rabbit is still a welcome sight for many as it signifies an end to the long, cold winter and assures that warmer months are just around the corner.

June : Baiu

	We have a rainy season in the beginning of summer, which usually lasts from early June to mid-July. It will rain almost everyday, and it will be very humid and uncomfortable. This wet spell is called "tsuyu" or "baiu". Baiu literally means, "Japanese Apricot Rain". People in the old days called this, because the Japanese apricot tree bears a lot of fruit in this rainy season.
A hydrangea (Azisai) is a typical flower in rainy season. It looks very nice in rain.

Japanese apricot (ume) is essential fruit for Japanese food. Green ume are pickled in salt, dried and mixed with red shiso leaves. The pickled ume (umeboshi) are very tart. Umeboshi is good for heath and effective for preserving food. Because of their supposedly germicidal properties, umeboshi are frequently included with the rice in box lunches and are put in rice balls (onigiri) to prevent spoilage.

lunchbox with umeboshi (hinomaru-bentou)

July : Tanabata

Both the Altair (the star of the cowherd) and Vega (the star of the weaver-princess) were hard workers. However, just after they fell in love with each other at first sight, they became lazy. So, they were separated on opposite sides of the Milky Way in the night sky, and able to meet but once a year, on July 7, if it did not rain. I recommend all couples. "If you forget to work hard because of your love, you'll be punished."

In Fukushima, Tanabata is celebrated on August 7 according to the lunar calendar. People decorate many bamboo trees with colorful decoration in down town street. And they write their wishes on stripes of colored paper, which they put on bamboo leaves.

August : Obon

Japanese summer festival “Obon” is a typical traditional event, as New Year's(Syougatu). It is held in the middle of August (from Aug.13 to 15). Originally, it was an event that combines Buddhism with ancestral piety. Families visit the family gravesite and offer flowers and sticks of incese. After that they come back home with their ancestors' souls. Many city-dwellers return to their hometowns over the summer holidays. Big city like Tokyo seems quiet and abandoned.
“Bon-Odori”(Summer Festival folk dances) take place during Obon. It is intended to comfort people’s ancestors' souls. A tall stage is set up in the town and people who play flutes and beat drums perform there. People, wearing Yukata(Japanese cotton Kimono), dance around the stage in a big circle.

September : Tsukimi

	Tsukimi means viewing of the full moon. Tsukimi held on the full moon night in September to enjoy viewing the full moon and to celebrate the harvest. People offer the seven flowers of autumn, and Susuki (Japanese pampas grass), Tsukimi-dango (rice powder dumpling) and vegetables to the moon. When my children was small, we used to display these things in my room. We are so excited and had a great time with full moon. Full moon reminds me when my elder son said a word in his first time, because the word was "TSU-KI (moon)". Now he grow up to be a man. Time flies like an arrow, but the moon hasn't changed at all.

October : Kouyou

Autumn is a beautiful season with red and orange colored leaves. The change of colors is known as kouyou in Japanese and is celebrated with viewing trips into the countryside, much like the excursions made in spring to view cherry blossoms. There are many nice places to enjoy kouyou in Fukushima. The vibrant colors are best viewed from Mt. Azuma road, or "skylines". But I don't need to go there, because I can enjoy the beauty of the autumn leaves in my garden.

November : Shichi-Go-San

Shichi-go-san (literally "seven-five-three") is an event in which parents celebrate their children's growth. On November 15th, 3 and 5-year-old boys, and 3 and 7-year-old girls are taken to shrines, where their parents offer thanks and pray for future blessings. Boys often wear haori (half-coat) and hakama (formal pleated skirts), and girls wear kimono. Nowadays it is common to see many children wearing western clothes rather than kimono. Children are given Chitoseame at shichi-go-san. It is red and white candy sticks. Chitose means " a thousand years", so eating the candy express a wish for longevity. When our sons were 3 and 5 years old, we took them to shrine. They had their commemorative photograph taken at photo studio. As this photo came out well, it was displayed in the show window.

December : Dai-Ku

Dai-Ku means the Ninth in Japanese. When Japanese say Dai-Ku, It means Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with chorus. It is especially popular among Japanese. At the end of the year, concert performances of the Dai-Ku are held everywhere, and many amateur singers look forward to singing in these choruses. This can be considered a phenomenon peculiar to Japan. There are two reasons why the Dai-Ku is a favorite musical piece performed in December. One is the content of the chorus (the song in praise of life) is a perfect fit for people's feeling at the end of the year. The other is many orchestras can make money for member's bonus, which must pay at the end of the year. In Fukushima-city, there is Dai-Ku concert in every December. It is performed by Fukushima-city citizen's amateur chorus group. I'm a great lover of Beethoven. Of course I've joined many times in Dai-Ku.