Shimekazari (しめ飾り)

New Year's in Japan. The layers of ritual. Every year a little more is revealed, I learn something new.

This year it was shimekazari. This is a highly symbolic New Year's decoration that is hung above the entrance to a house. A traditional shimekazari is made of a braided straw rope (shimenawa) shaped into a circle, like a wreath. There is usually some greenery like fern fronds or pine sprigs included in the design, as well as sacred paper strips (shide) and a bitter orange (daidai).  

These might appear to be just beautiful, festive decorations, but each element of the shimekazari holds a deep meaning.  The shimenawa and shide are used in Shinto to demarcate holy spaces. The daidai is auspicious because of the kanji used to write the word. Pine is a symbol of longevity and power because it is an evergreen, and the fern fronds represent the desire for a happy family life. Besides their decorative purpose, the shimekazari has a symbolic function, which is to welcome the god of the New Year, Toshigami.

There are hundreds of different styles of shimekazari, from the simple to the elaborate. There are the made-in-China supermarket variety, and there are exquisite hand-made pieces that are genuine works of art. This year my friends gave me a shimenawa and some pine and cedar sprigs to make my own shimekazari. Though not professional, I was satisfied with my effort.

Shimekazari go up between December 26th and 28th (the 29th is bad luck and the 31st is considered last minute and thus disrespectful to the gods). They generally come down on January 7th. On the 15th they are burned with other New Year's decorations at a shrine in a ritual called dondoyaki. It is believed the visiting Toshigami is released and sent back to the heavens this way.  

I went to Matsunoo Taisha shrine for this. I was expecting something similar to the bonfire that burns on New Year's day - giant logs crackling, people tossing old talismans onto the fire with a respectful bow. No. Dondoyaki takes place in the parking lot, firehose at the ready.

A sort of metal cage was erected and two attendants took the shimekazari from visitors and tossed them in. It was a sizeable heap already when I arrived at 9:30. It looked like any other pile of rubbish. All the beauty and art, the fervour and joy of the holiday season had given way to something totally mundane.

The head priest and his entourage arrived and set everything alight. There was some solemn chanting as the flames grew higher. I watched. Myself and a couple dozen other people watched 2018 burn up.

Maybe I'm just sentimental, but there was something a little sad about this ceremony. But then I suppose it is less depressing than seeing Christmas trees piled onto the sidewalk for garbage collection in New York on December 26th.