Nenmatsu no Osoji
The year 2008 is coming to a close. And not a moment sooner, as what a year it’s been!!
This year, my family decides to observe the Japanese year-end house cleaning tradition - called osoji.
Osoji is a long-standing Japanese cultural practice that is both a literal and metaphoric cleansing of the physical and spiritual stains of the past year. The word Osoji means clean and free. Osoji is a time of refreshment to create a new, clean spirit, to end the Old Year and enter the New Year properly. So, every year on the 31st of December, families and companies around Japan perform Osoji.
I think the Japanese has it right. Closing the previous year by purifying everything so that one can make a fresh start on the new year with new intentions and energies for the coming twelve months is a very good practice.
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to participate in this house-cleaning process, since I still have to go to work today (unlike everybody else in the world! ARGH! !@#$%$#%!!!!). But I’d still like to do it, even if I get to it a day late, a week late… you get the point.
In any case, to my mom and dad who are busy today… Happy Nenmatsu no Osoji!
