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Shogatsu (Japanese New Year)
The Japanese New Year — the most important celebration in the Shinto calendar.
📅 January 1 – 3 days
✦ Why It Matters
Shogatsu is the most sacred time of the Shinto year, when the divine spirit Toshigami (year god) is welcomed into the home. The first sunrise (Hatsuhinode), first shrine visit (Hatsumode), and purification rituals mark a fresh spiritual beginning.
✦ How It Is Observed
Hatsumode (first shrine visit of the year), receiving o-mikuji (fortune lots), eating special New Year foods (osechi ryori), kadomatsu (pine and bamboo gate decorations), zoni (rice cake soup), visiting family, watching the first sunrise.
✦ Sacred Text
“We humbly speak before the great deities of heaven and earth. Let the new year bring clarity, purity, and the blessing of the Kami upon all who dwell in this land.”
— Kojiki, Norito tradition ↗