Sougwachi January 1

Long before Okinawa became the southernmost prefecture of Japan, it was the ancient Ryukyu Kingdom with a strong cultural identity that is still proud today. In the 1300s, relations between the Ryukyu Kingdom and China were very strong.

In fact, in an attempt to learn from the great nation in the West, Ryukyuan students were sent to study in China while the emperor Chinese sent technical and cultural advisors to help develop the Ryukyu Kingdom. Culture Features chinese were molded into the development of Ryukyuan culture. One of these many features was the lunar calendar. Shortly after its introduction, traditional Ryukyuan festivals were based on the phases of the moon.

Hundreds of years later, descendants Japanese of the Satsuma clan, Shimazu Tadatsune, with the support of the Tokugawa shogunate, took power over the Ryukyu Kingdom. When the Ryukyu Kingdom became part of Japan, certain cultural practices and traditions were restricted.

One of the many things that was banned was the lunar calendar and in particular the Lunar New Year, as it was considered a Chinese celebration and therefore anti-national. Despite the attempt to expel the lunar calendar from Okinawan culture, after hundreds of years of practice it has become an inseparable part of their culture. Although recent years have seen fewer and fewer people celebrate the Lunar New Year in favor of the more modern Western New Year on January 1st, some traditions are still upheld.

Okinawa is a place where past and present blend through the practice of ancient traditions, especially during the Lunar New Year cycle. It all begins on New Year's Eve, or Toushinuyuru. A traditional tool of Toushinuyuru is garlic, which is believed to banish evil spirits. The use of garlic varies by village.

For example, in Nakagusuku, families bring garlic roots to family shrines and offer them to their ancestors, while in Tamagusuku, villagers can be seen hanging garlic on their ears as they leave the house. In Itoman, many families chop garlic and place small piles in the dining room to prevent epidemics. Wakamiji, the name given to the first water drawn from the well of the new year, is often made into tea and offered to ancestors.

This water can also be used to cleanse the body and on some islands it is believed to help rejuvenate the spirit and restore youth. On New Year's morning, known as Shogatsu, or Sougwachi, the priestesses of the district will hold the first rite of the year.

During the time of the ancient kingdom, people practiced ancestor veneration and held the elderly in high esteem and respect. Despite the integration of new religions into the culture, this trait is still practiced today. For example, the tradition of family sons paying homage to elders and offering holiday greetings.

During the visit, incense is burned on family altars and a cup of awamori, a type of Okinawan sake, is accepted to celebrate the new year as they pray for good luck. In some areas, such as the southern city of Naha, these same elders will sometimes offer slices of salted dried squid passed to younger generations using chopsticks.

Other places have much more lively celebrations. Ryukyu Mura, located just north of Yomitan, continues to attract visitors with its New Year celebration. The name Ryukyu Mura is a simple translation of its purpose as a replica of a traditional Ryukyuan village. Here, they have the rustic houses with red tile roofs and the villagers dressed in traditional clothing of the time.

Throughout the year, there are reenactments of the Ryukyu King and celebrations that accompany his arrival, including traditional dances and music sung in the Okinawan dialect. However, with the Lunar New Year comes a particularly exciting event. According to the legend Ryukyu, every New Year (according to the lunar calendar), the god Miruku will cross the sea to Okinawa to bring happiness to the people for the coming year.

Miruku will lead a New Year’s parade, smiling warmly and waving a large paper fan to cool the villagers. After Miruku, there will be a parade of royalty surrounded by colorful flags as dancers shout joyfully in celebration. The twang of the Sanshin, a traditional three-stringed Ryukyu instrument, will vibrate through the air as Eisa dancers lift their legs while beating large drums called taiko.

In the south of Okinawa, the port city of Itoman was an important trading base for the Chinese and relations between the two countries were very strong and the imprint of Chinese culture has left a much deeper mark on this region of Okinawa. Here, the traditions of the Ryukyu Kingdom are still practiced in everyday life.

Lunar New Year, in particular, is a highly anticipated event that brings friends and family together for a long night of drinking and partying. Rows of tents are set up with lanterns illuminating food sizzling on grills. Here too, the rumble of taiko and the cries of Eisa dancers mingle with the accompanying sanshin as villagers dance and laugh, drink sake with friends, and ring in the new year as has been the tradition for hundreds of years. At the end of the night, there is a grand fireworks display.