Ikebana #2 and Japanese New Year

Last night was ikebana class #2. Our arrangement, although it looks Christmasy to us with evergreen and red berries, is actually a New Years arrangement. This arrangement is "freestyle", so Eiko was more forgiving of our attempts!

Our class was held in the "tatami" room of the community center. Tatami refers to the rice straw mats on the floor. The room was very traditional - it had an alcove for a shrine, as well as an alcove for flowers and a hanging scroll.

In Japan, New Years Day is a much bigger holiday than Christmas. Here's a fascinating article describing all the Japanese New Year customs! On New Years Eve, temple bells will ring 108 times, with the last ring at midnight (I assume they will do this in Okinawa too, since that is where I will be celebrating the arrival of 2008).

I sent out New Years cards in keeping with Japanese custom. The Japanese text says something like "please be kind to me in this year too". Very polite and formal!! 2008 will be the year of the rat so there are two lovely rats on the card! But there is lots of confusion about the difference between rats and mice. Many people say it's the year of the mouse (I think because a mouse is cuter).

This is of a traditional New Years decoration. The pine represents strength and longevity, the bamboo represents uprightness (it's so straight and unbending). The red berries are the same as in my ikebana arrangement. And the white and purple kale have appeared all over town in place of flowers. This arrangement is in front of Himeji castle, but smaller ones are on sale at the grocery stores for people to put outside their doors (one on each side).

And this is a traditional New Years decoration I made with the 7th graders at school. It's part of the Shinto religious festivities for New Years and is to be hung on the door on December 31st. I think it's called a shimekazari. Many families will make a New Years Day visit to a Shinto shrine. I believe some families will go to both a Shinto shrine and a Buddhist temple on New Years Day. I don't know what I'll be doing on New Years Day, probably trying to observe these visits to shrines and temples.