Oshougatsu Celebration
For the first time in three years, students, teachers, and some parents/guardians will celebrate Oshougatsu in-person with their buddy classes this month (most of Japan follows the western calendar to celebrate the New Year starting from January 1st). For those of you who aren't familiar with Oshougatsu, the word means "New Years" in Japanese, and it's probably safe to say that New Years is one of, if not the biggest, holiday in Japan.
New Years in Japan is often spent at home with families, and is usually celebrated for three to ten days. At Clarendon JBBP, Oshougatsu is celebrated for the whole month of January!
activities
There are many traditional foods, games, and activities associated with Oshougatsu in Japan, but the following are the ways in which Clarendon JBBP usually celebrates:
Ozouni Making
Classes make mochi (sticky rice cakes) from scratch with the help of parent volunteers and teachers, and put them in dashi (soup) with a few other ingredients (usually carrots, daikon, spinach, and kamaboko fish cakes) – freshly made mochi is the BEST!
shodo
Many of the children also get to try Japanese calligraphy, the art of writing with a brush and charcoal-based ink called sumi. The first calligraphy of the new year (Kakizome) is considered to bring in good luck. Some of the JBBP students have written Oshougatsu in kanji, and have done a great job!
Kamishibai
Some of the children hear/watch a story told in Japanese using Kamishibai story cards and learn more about New Years traditions in Japan.
games
Fukuwarai
Children enjoy Fukuwarai, a Japanese version of Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Donkey, except that the players try to assemble a face while wearing a blindfold.
Hanetsuki
Another popular New Years game is Hanetsuki, which is similar to badminton, but children use wooden paddles as rackets.
Kendama
Kendama is the Japanese version of the cup-and-ball game. It consists of a handle, a pair of cups, and a ball that are all connected together by a string.
Bouzu Mekuri
Bouzu Mekuri is another popular and exciting card game where players compete with one another to try to win all the cards.
Koma
Oshougatsu in Japan wouldn’t be the same without Koma-Mawashi, which is top-spinning.
how can i help?
Oshougatsu is a very memorable and fun experience for the students, however, we are in need of many volunteers to make this happen! If you are unable to take time but would like to contribute, there are many ingredients that we need, and donations would be much appreciated.
Each class will have own celebration on different days, so keep an eye out for communications from your teacher.
resources
The Ozouni Making manual explains where ingredients can be bought and how they should be prepped. It also outlines how to make the Ozouni.