Akademik

Fuyu no matsuri
   'Winter festivals'. No real distinction can be made between 'New Year' (shogatsu) and 'winter' (fuyu) festivals. Their themes include the welcoming of the sun (i.e. of spring); travel in a lucky direction for the coming year, typically hatsu-mode; prayers for and divination of a good harvest; expulsion of evil and securing of good influences. Not all winter festivals take place at shrines and the types that do often occur also at Buddhist temples. Shrine-based examples include the stabbing of an awa (a 2-metre wide white circle representing a 'false sun') at the Yashiro-jinja, Mie, on January 1st, and the kitcho-to-bannai-san parade at the Izumo taisha, Shimane on January 3, where marchers called bannai-san carry a large banner called kitcho (lucky omen). The ae-no-koto festival is held in villagers' homes in Ishikawa prefecture on December 5th. Farmers invite (ae) the ta-no-kami into the house for a family celebration (koto) in the hope of a good harvest.

A Popular Dictionary of Shinto. .