Photo of the Day Archive for January 2004

by Albert Wen, Nov 15, 2006 | Destinations: Japan

This flaming display held in mid-February is called Dondo yaki, in which huge pyres of New Year's decorations are burned to send off old spirits and to pray for health and safety in the upcoming year.

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The New Year is Japan's most important celebration. At this time, the people of Japan visit shrines and temples to pray for blessings in the year to come. Families gather to enjoy specially prepared foods called O-sechi, and to exchange seasonal gifts. One traditional New Year's gift is a symbolic arrow to ward off bad fortune in the coming year.

On the second Sunday of the New Year, wearing nothing more than loincloths called shitaobi and headbands called hachimaki, many Japanese men brave the icy waters of Teppozu Inari Jinja, a Shinto shrine in central Tokyo, to practice a yearly purification ritual.

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