A Happy New Year!

These cute candies are characterized "Shichifukujin". Shichifukujin means the seven  gods of Good Fortune. We got these candies from our temple. Last year was not my year, so I hope the seven gods might give some god fortune!

Both two of my old computers had got old and worked so slowly. Also,  the operation systems were windows XP. XP's support  well end by April 7th. Therefore, I bought a new one beginning of the new year. Since I am a technophobia, it will take time to get used using this.  This laptop computer is thinner than old ones.

This is a kamidana, or a shinto home shrine. The center ornament is called shimekazari for a new year.  We will take this out from the  kamidana, and bring it to a shinto shrine to burn.

Setsubun,or eve of the first day of spring)

It was sutusbun yesterday.We ate ehomaki or lucky direction sushi rolls.This year's lucky direction was northern northern west. We madesome temakizushi and an ehomaki. I bought an half sized ehomaki which had a Hello Kitty printed compass. We ate sushi looking toward northern northern west.

This is an ehomaki which I made. Sigh! Its shape was a little strange, but it was OK.

We made temakizushi with these sea foods and the imitation crab.

On that day, we scatter beans while saying Oni wa soto,Fuku wa uchi, which means evil is out, fortune is in.

Though we couldn't see the full moon

Sep. 12 th was the full moon viewing day this year. Unfortunately, it was couldy, so we couldn't see it at all that night.However, we offered some fruits, vegetables,sweets, and Japanese pampas grass for it.

The previous night of the full moon

Higan,or Buddhist memorial services centering on the spring equinox

These dumplings are my mother's homemade botamochi.

These are offerings for our ancesters.

Setsubun

Setsubun（節分）eve of the day of first spring

On that day we scatter beans to evil out and fortune in, and eat beans. These rolled sushi are called " Ehomaki" Eho means fortune direction and maki means roll. We roll fortune and eat it. We also eat sardines.

This is HelloKitty Ehomaki strap which is these ehomaki's freebie.

These are my neighbor's homemade ehomaki. It was good.

Setsubun

Seafood rolled sushi for Setsubun

Iwashi

Setsubun(Eve of the first day of spring)

Oniwa soto, fukuwa uchi( evil is out, fortune is in!) On Setsubun, we scatter beans to chase demons out and summon good luck.When I was a kid, we scattered beans. Now we just eat beans Ehoumaki(fortune direction rolled sushi?) and Iwashi(fish).

Dondoyaki(burning of New Year decorations)

This is a shrine in my town. The person is tossing some money into an offertory called Saisen-bako, and will pray.

Every January we take New year's decorations to burn at a shrine in my town. It is called Dondoyaki. The people were preparing for bone fire to burn them. It's a fire festival to ward off evil at the beginning of the year. Warming ourself at the fire is said to bring good health. If we go there around 11 am., we can eat grilled mochi .

Some staff have to check up nonburnable things and burnable ones in order not to emit?(create?) dioxin. So , my mother and I had already took out nyron stuff from the New Year decorations at home.

Nanakusagayu

Halloween decoration

Since I bought the Better Home and Gardens Halloween issue this year, I wanted to make something. I haven't make anything yet, because I am lazy. I decorated a triangle shaped tiny window with some my old Halloween ornaments. They are not gorgeous , though. I wanted to grow some orange pampkins, but none of the seeds sprouted!!

Tukimi(月見）Jugoya(十五夜)

Today is Moon Viewing Day, Jugoya, the 15th of the eighth month by the lunar calendar, the traditonal day to admire the full moon and make offerings to to it.One point of this is to enjoy gazing at that bright moon. It's also a kind of harvest festival. We offer Tukimidango, or moon viewing dumplings, newly haversted fruits and crops from fields, and Susuki, or Japanese pampas grass. The previous day, I walked to a field to pick some Japanese pampas grass. I couldn't easily find them, so I had to walk a lot. Finally, I found the pampas grass. Yay!

Susuki, or Japanese pampas grass

Tommorow is a fullmoon viewing day, so...

This evening, I walked to a field to pick some Japanese pampas grass to offer the moon tommorow night. I looked for them, but I couldn't find them easily. I walked for a while, and finally I found some Pampas grass across the stream. It was an indian summer , so it's nice to take a walk.

After the Bon（盆）

This evening, my mother and I pieced apart all of the Bon lanterns, and we packed up them into the boxes. We will keep them in the storage shed(garage) tommorow. Piecing the Bon lanterns together and piecing them apart are pain in the neck!

七夕（Tanabata) , The star festival

七夕（Tanabata) means 7th of evening.

七　means 7.

夕　means evening.

Tanabata is a star festival held each year on the seventh day of the seventh month, but is held on Aug 7th in Hokkaido and some other places.

It is originated in China, and is based on a legend that two starry lovers, the Cowherd(Altair) and the Weaver Maid (Vega),patroness of silkworm raising and weaving, meet once a year on this day , though on opposite banks of the River of Heaven(Milky Way).

We decorate some ornaments and strips on some bamboo branches.(Since I didn't have a bamboo tree, I hang some strips on the pine tree branches. We write our wish on some strips.

Originally bamboo was put up as a place to receive descending gods.

Some more Bon lanterns(盆提灯）

A pair of Bon lanterns are enough for us. My relatives gave us these lanterns, so we decorated them.