From January 6th (Saturday), it will be the “Shokan” of the 24 solar terms.
The combined period of the Small Cold and the Great Cold is called “Kan”, “Kanchu”, and “Kan no Uchi”, and the first day of the Small Cold is also called “Kan no Iri”.
The cold weather is not just a time when it gets even colder. Well, what kind of season is it?
“Sanfuyu” and “Mifuyu” – “The special feeling of winter” seen in words
“Mifuyu” and “Mifuyu” are both pronounced “Mifuyu”.
Sanfuyu refers to the three months of October, November, and December in the lunar calendar. According to the current solar calendar, this roughly corresponds to November, December, and January.
It is also called “Mifuyuzuki,” which is another name for December in the lunar calendar. Speaking of December in the lunar calendar, it also coincides with the period of small cold and large cold.
On the other hand, “Mifuyu” is a beautiful name for winter, and “Mi” is a prefix.
In the past, people feared winter, thinking it was a time when all things ceased to be active. Therefore, it was sometimes expressed as “Mifuyu” by adding the prefix “mi”, which means to fear and respect something with spiritual power. It has also come to be used as a nickname.
Considering that there are no expressions using these beautiful names in other seasons, you can see the special feeling of winter.
Enjoy Nanaku Sayayu on January 7th
Nanakusa of spring
Japanese parsley, shepherd’s purse, gogyo, chickweed, hotokenoza, suzuna, and suzushiro are said to be the “seven herbs of spring.”Gogyo means hahakogusa, chickweed means chickweed, hotokenoza means tabirako, suzuna means turnip, and suzushiro means radish.
The rice porridge containing these seven herbs is called Nanakusa porridge, and it is said that if eaten on January 7th, it will exorcise evil spirits and bring good health.
In ancient times, it was said that by eating the newly sprouted buds of seven herbs, people prayed to gain new vitality.
In modern times, we have many opportunities to eat feasts during the year-end and New Year holidays, so our stomachs and intestines tend to feel tired. Nanakusa porridge is a food that is gentle on that tired stomach.
On the other hand, typical flowers that bloom in autumn, such as Japanese clover, are called “autumn seven herbs,” and are used exclusively for ornamental purposes.
The meaning behind “Kagami-biraki”
January 11th is Kagami Biraki. Kagami-mochi, which has been offered to the god of the year, is lowered and eaten by adding it to zoni or shiruko. It was customary to break sacred kagami-mochi with a wooden mallet instead of using a knife.
It is said that the ancient Japanese believed that words have souls and that their spiritual power can make what they say into reality. And we have inherited the habit of avoiding unlucky words and replacing them with other words.
It is not called “Kagami-wari”, but “Kagami-biraki” is a remnant of this.
The power of water and rain in “Kanku”
The ninth day after the onset of cold weather is called “Kan-ku”. Kanku usually falls around January 13th or 14th. The same goes for this year.
“Kanku-no-mizu” is the water drawn from Kanku, and is said to be good for taking medicine. Furthermore, it has been thought to be especially suitable for making mochi (mochi) and making alcoholic beverages.
The rain that falls in Kan-ku is called “Kan-ku rain” and is said to be a sign of a bountiful year.
The cold weather is also the time when the New Year’s mood fades and work and other activities begin in earnest. I want to stretch my back and take a new step.
» List of weather news articles
Photo: Weather Report (posted from the Weather News app)
Supervision
Keiko Yamashita: Writer. Books such as “24 Seasons and 72 Seasons’ Seasonal Notebook” (Seibidoshuppan) and “72 Seasons of Japanese Beauty” (PHP Institute) explore the beauty of the Japanese language and words from the Japanese calendar. There are many books written by him.
Reference materials etc.
2024-01-05 20:00:00
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