Happy New Year! VAoJ hopes for a wonderful, peaceful and meaningful 2025 for all!
Please forgive the lateness of our New Year's greetings. These photos span the time between New Year's Eve 2024 and the wee morning hours of New Year's Day 2025 at our local shrine, Ubusuna Jinjya (産土神社).
A few months ago, the shrine elders asked me to assist them with the preparations and activities during the new year holidays. They knew me because of my participation in the fall festival for the last several years, and because I was always taking photos at the shrine. They asked me, in part, because they are a small group of senior men who were looking for some young(er) blood to help out. I was extremely honored and promised to do whatever I could.
Preparations began on December 29. And we gathered again at the shrine at 10:30 PM on the 31st for the final provisions and to welcome worshipers and visitors who would be coming at midnight to offer their new year's prayers. Although I have gone to the shrine at midnight almost every year's eve for the last 20 years, I had no idea of the details and all the work involved to prepare the shrine. Despite their ages and various health problems, I found these older men to be strong, agile and most capable. I sort of felt like I was a kid again, assisting my father but not really knowing how to do anything.
At midnight, many people from the neighborhood started to arrive. Our shrine is a small one (now, anyway, in the past it was one of the largest and major shrines in the Kawachi region), but I estimate between 250 - 300 visitors came before we packed up and went home at 2:30 AM. My main duty was to assist in the preparation and serving of the omiki, or sacred sake.
While I was there to work for the shrine, I was able to take a few photos. I am grateful to the shrine elders for all of the work they have done for years for the benefit of our community. And I was grateful that I could assist, and do a little visual anthropology in between duties. In the following days I will post photos of the preparations for the event and the post-work we did on the morning on January 1.
