Ringing in the New Year 2021 at our neighborhood shrine - COVID 19 interferes with the liminality of the hatsumode ritual

The liminal phase in a rite of transition usually entails a certain ambiguity - a period where the usual norms of daily life are absent. However this year, COVID 19 seems to have affected the hatsumode ritual (the first shrine visit of the year) itself. On a scouting mission on December 31, 2020, my research assistant and I briefly visited two local shrines where preparations were underway or had finished for the usual shrine visit at midnight.

This is what we saw at the first site. It is not so easy to see the green tape lines on the pathway to the shrine to encourage social distancing. This got me to think what was being done at our own local shrine.

At the second site, there seemed to have been little preparation. No bon fire barrels, no tent for the sipping of the sacred sake. But there were banners promoting the use of masks, hand sanitizer and social distancing (no green tape maker lines however).

Shortly after the midnight hour I visited our neighborhood shrine once again (my research assistant had fallen asleep watching the New Year's Eve special programming on TV).

There were few people present to say their first New Year's prayers.

There were few people standing in line at the shrine in front of me.

And no one was behind me.

No bon fires, no tents, no containers to dispose of old relgious amulets, no sakered sake, and the water to purify oneself was closed off. And the bell at the top of the opening of the shrine was missing along with the rope attached to it that people shake to make the bell ring before they pray. I talked to a couple of shrine elders and they said these changes (decided by a regional shrine association) had to be made because of the corona virus. The shrine was open for quick prayers but not for the usual ritual festivities. It seemed as if most people were staying home anyway.

You can see the difference between this year and last year (click here).

While it was good that people stayed away to avoid crowds and possible virus spread, it was very sad to miss out on the camaraderie and communitas that the hasumode provides for the neighborhood. Here's hoping for normal ritual activities in 2021!