New Year: shared traditions

by | 22/06/2023 | China, France, Japan, South Korea

Once Christmas is over, we find ourselves looking forward to another of our favourite holidays: New Year! The family and friends gathering, the great dinner, the countdown before midnight, the fireworks display, and the emotional celebration are some of the traditional elements that we surely think of when we refer to this date.

However, we are not limited to just these traditions. There are some others that are also performed around the world. Interestingly, we give these traditions different meanings although we perform the same. Hence, we want to share with you some of them and what is their purpose in other countries.

  1. To clean up the house

Doing a thorough cleaning of the house and removing everything that is no longer needed is a common tradition in Mexico and other Latin American countries. By doing this, the following year will bring abundance and prosperity, although it may seem like a difficult task.

People in Japan take this tradition further than cleaning the house. They clean workplaces, temples and schools. They designate a specific day to do this cleaning with great commitment, starting early in the morning. This tradition is a way to start the year off right, leaving in the past the unnecessary loads. It is called Oosouji, which is translated as “great cleaning”.

  1. To eat lentils

Although it is performed in Mexico, this tradition is from Italy. It is very common for Italian people to have lentils as part of the menu on the December 31st dinner. Lentils symbolize wealth, due to their similarity to ancient coins. Some people even place them in wallets and bags where there is usually money.

  1. To eat 12 grapes

This originally Spanish tradition has reached the entire world, including countries such as France, England, the United States, Italy, and Latin American countries like Mexico, of course. According to the vox populi, each grape represents a month of the coming year, and eating them symbolises good luck; Thus, in order to achieve good luck throughout the year, each grape must be eaten one by one along the bells tolling 12 times.

  1. Bell Tolling

Speaking of bells, we may consider this one as a quite popular tradition. Generally, when midnight arrives, bells are tolled 12 times representing the 12 months of the year. This practice was born in Spain and is currently done in Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and many other countries.

In Japan, instead of this, Buddhist temples toll their bells 108 times, to get rid of 108 “defects” that bring trouble to people. They call this tradition Jyoya no kane (除夜の鐘), which is translated as “New Year’s Eve bell”.

  1. To watch the first sunrise of the year

This is an important tradition in which we welcome the New Year and all that it’s bringing. Due to this fact, we aren’t the only ones who do it. In South Korea and Japan, for example, they even travel for hours to witness the first sunrise from the beach or from a mountain. It is very common to make wishes when you see the first sunshine.

  1. To visit friends and family

The first day of the year is a special day. We usually go to visit our relatives to deliver our best wishes to them in the new current year. Something curious about this tradition is that in England the first person who visits you settles how the year will go for you. If the first person who enters your house is a dark-haired man, it will suit you well, but if it is a blonde or redhead woman, it will bring you bad luck; This belief is associated with the history of Vikings invading England to loot.

Have you ever participated in any of these traditions? Do you know any other? Let us know in the comments!

HANXUE SCHOOL WISHES YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

 

The legend of the koi fish

by | 22/06/2023 | Japan

I love fish. Several years ago, I installed a pond in my house, with plants, a heating system and a water filter, I got two koi fish. I looked at their behaviour for a few days and one thing that struck me was that they always seemed to want to swim against the current generated by the water filter.  Why would they do that? This became even more curious to me when I heard the legend of the koi fish.

The koi fish is also known as koi carp, or simply koi, and is native to Japan and China, although it now lives all over the world. We have probably seen them in ponds and oriental-style gardens. They are brightly coloured fish (red, yellow, orange, silver and others) that can measure 50 to 90 centimetres and live up to 65 years, under favourable conditions. But what is the legend about the koi fish?

There are different versions of this legend. One tells of fish swimming in the Yellow River in China. They all swam in the direction of the flow until one set himself the goal of swimming in the opposite direction and up the waterfall. Many others took up the challenge, but it was very difficult, as not only the waterfall pushed them down, but also the demons that guarded it. This continued for as long as it took until one of them managed to jump a little further and reached the top. The gods, observing the perseverance of this fish, decided to turn him into a dragon as a reward for having achieved his goal. Since then, it was said that the fish that managed to climb the waterfall would become a dragon.

Today, these fish are considered to attract prosperity in business and academic life. They are also considered a symbol of perseverance, as it is said that the koi’s ascent to the waterfall is tantamount to success in life.

 

Eastern Christmas

by | 21/06/2023 | China, Japan, South Korea

Christmas came into being with the Christian religion. In countries where this religion predominates, it is very common to celebrate it in a big way and with very similar traditions, such as mass and dinner on the 24th of December, or a family meal on the 25th. But Christmas is not exclusive to Christians; it has become so popular that it is even celebrated in a secular way, making this celebration more varied. In general, it is a celebration mainly for relaxation, spending time with family, sharing a nice meal, and giving gifts. 

In Asia, Christmas is considered an alien celebration, since the predominant religions are Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam, and not Christianity as it is in Europe or America. However, such is the impact that Christmas has had on the world that it has been adopted and adapted in countries such as South Korea, Japan, and China, although the way it is celebrated is somewhat different. Do you know how it is celebrated? 

South Korea 

Christmas decorations in South Korea can be found in shops and establishments, as well as pine trees decorated with lights and spheres, just like in our country, but in this country, the celebration has a slightly different meaning, as the population is mainly Buddhist, and they celebrate in a secular way. 

Christians in South Korea, who make up about 30 percent of the population, treat it as a religious holiday and have dinner with their families on 24 December, even though there are no different dishes than the ones they eat every day. The others prefer to take the 25th as a day off and choose to go shopping, go out for fun with friends, watch Christmas-themed movies at the cinema, and do other more everyday activities. 

Couples and engaged couples often have dinner together on this date. It is like a second Valentine’s Day, and they exchange gifts. Incidentally, many couples try to coincide Christmas with the 100th day of their relationship. Starting on 17 September, also called Gobaek Day (Confession Day), they try to give or receive a declaration of love so that they can spend Christmas together. 

Japan  

In Japan, the percentage of the population that is Christian is even smaller than in South Korea, as Buddhism and the country’s own religion, Shintoism, predominate. Due to its popularity, Christmas has also come to Japan, but its meaning has been adapted to Japanese culture. Thus, we can find all the typical decorations and ornaments, along with pine trees specially illuminated with coloured lights in shops and public spaces, but not so much in homes. 

December 25 is not considered a holiday, so the Japanese go to school and work like any other day. At the end of the day, it is very common to go shopping for the family or partner, as Christmas for them means giving a gift. Parents usually give presents to their children instead of Father Christmas. 

For Christmas dinner, the main dish is usually chicken from KFC. It may not seem special to us, or the typical gala dish for the occasion, but for them, it has become a tradition. For dessert, they usually eat Christmas Cake, which is a cake topped with cream and strawberries. 

China 

In China, Christmas is a foreign holiday. In the 1980s, the government itself declared that Christmas is an irrational holiday that goes against socialism and Chinese traditions. There are even cities where it is forbidden to put up Christmas decorations and organise Christmas dinners, as in Liaoning. Despite the high export of Christmas products, it is not a bank holiday in China, nor is it as relevant as its own celebrations. For many Chinese, Christmas is simply a time for eating and gift-giving. 

However, in recent years, especially for young people, Christmas has become more widespread and is slowly becoming accepted in society. Some people put up Christmas trees in their businesses and homes. There is a tradition of giving red apples on Christmas between couples, as the word they use for “peaceful night” (ping’an ye) has a similar pronunciation to “apple” (pingguo). Exchanging gifts has also become popular and many take advantage of discounts at large shops. 

Christmas is mostly an excuse to spend time with family or friends, exchanging gifts and eating. The main dish at Christmas dinner is fish. For this reason, the spelling of “fish” is used as a sinogram for “abundance”. 

What do you think about Christmas, how do you celebrate it, let us know in the comments!  

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

 

 

Shichi-go-san

by | 03/06/2023 | Japan

The autumn is already here and in Japan the shichi-go-san (七五三, which translates as “seven-five-three”) festival is celebrated on 15 November, as it is every year. The main characters of this celebration are boys aged 3 and 5, and girls aged 3 and 7 (hence the name seven-five-three), and they are taken to temples to give thanks for their good health and to pray for their continued good health during their development.  

In the past, children were susceptible to a wide variety of diseases in Japan and the infant mortality rate was a serious problem, with many not making it to the age of 7. During the Heian period (794-1192), noble families began to perform these rituals in which they would go to Shinto temples and pray for their children’s health: with boys at ages 3 and 5, and with girls at ages 3 and 7. They did so in the belief that odd numbers bring good luck. Later samurai families joined in this tradition and then the rest of the population.  

Children wear traditional Japanese dress for the first time during shichi-go-san. At the age of three, girls are taken to temples wearing beautiful kimonos tied with laces, and at the age of seven, they wear for the first time the obi, which is a wide cloth sash worn over the kimono. This is considered an important ritual, called obitoki (帯解き), and was once considered to be the girls’ passage into adulthood. 

Boys are allowed to have long hair from age three, as they are used to having their hair cut very short before that age. This ritual is called kamioki (髪置き). At the age of 5, children wear haori jackets and are allowed to wear hakama trousers, which are a complement to traditional dress, to represent the passage from childhood to adulthood. This second ritual was named hakamagi (袴着). However, the meaning of the rituals has changed, but the habit of the dress has remained. 

Certainly, traditional Japanese costumes are expensive, due to the complexity of their elaboration. That is why many companies allow you to rent these costumes for children and adults for this kind of festivities. Even photography studios offer a package of costume rental and a photo session at the temples for families. Some people have opted for this option, and the family portrait in traditional dress has practically become part of the tradition. 

As part of this tradition, children are also given a colourful bag of chitoseame (千歳飴), which means “thousand-year candy”. It is a candy stick, the shape of which symbolises longevity. The candies are white and red (lucky colours) and it is considered that the number of candies to be given to children should correspond to their age. For example, a three-year-old child is given three sweets. 

Although children’s health is no longer an issue in Japan, the tradition has been preserved for centuries as a joyful celebration representing parents’ wishes for their children to live a long, full and happy life.