[DEEP JAPAN] Huge bonfire "Donto yaki" in a shrine🔥⛩👸

[YasumiKikuchi]

On the evening of 14th January, a festival called "どんと焼き Donto yaki" will be held at shrines throughout the country🔥⛩🔥. To be exact, it is called "左義長 Sagi cho". We will make a big bonfire to bring "歳徳神 Toshi gami (Year God)" born on the New Year's day to heaven👋👸. Bonfire's fuel will be New Year's decoration and old amulet. Because these are God's old energy, they have a religious meaning to purify it with fire🔥🙏

In Japan it is thought that fortune lives in new things, old things hinder luck. It depends on the concept of "Reborn" in Japan♻. The fire means purifying the bad luck possessed by us🔥. Therefore we believe that we will reborn our luck by warming our bodies with bonfires burning with the energy of God✨. 

It is such a shrine rite to go around a bonfire with a white and thin kimono. In the case of Japanese kimono, white kimono means serving God and the other world. Therefore, we usually avoid white kimono👻

Beyond this event, our long New Year period will end📆

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[YasumiKikuchi]

Thank you for subscribing @asifMojtoba @TravellerG @Jesi @Ivi_Ge @hereisFU

[Ivi_Ge]

Thank you for tagging me @YasumiKikuchi and thank you for sharing the Japanese traditions. 

When I was in Japan I was participating in Dontoyaki festival at Fukuyama city. It was a great experience! Here you can see one photo 🙂 

Caption: A photo of group of Japanese people, taken during one of the New Year's festival. (Local Guides @Ivi_Ge)

[YasumiKikuchi]

You are the one who experienced Deep Japan @Ivi_Ge

Thank you for the beautiful photos! As you have noticed, it has been handed down entirely differently by region. The method is completely different though the essence is the same. It is a very strange story⛩🤔

[Ivi_Ge]

Thank you @YasumiKikuchi.

As I remember, the Japanese people decorate their houses with ornaments around New Year’s Day, which is to welcome the God of the Year. After using those ornaments, you can’t just throw them away as trash. People take all used ornaments to the shrines or temples on the “Donto-yaki” fire festive day to burn them. Those ornaments belong to the God and you can’t treat them rough, and by burning them we can return to the God up above. This custom is practiced around January 15 every year in all over Japan but maybe it is different region by region. 

[HiroyukiTakisawa]

@YasumiKikuchiさん

実は私は参加したことがなく、実家付近ではなかったため馴染みのないイベントですが全国的に開催されているものなのですね。

調べたところ盛岡でもやっているそうなので、いつか参加してみたいと思いました。

[YasumiKikuchi]

Is the correct answer @Ivi_Ge
If you take a Japanese test you will surely pass✅

[TorM]

Thank you @YasumiKikuchi

Looks much more meaningful than the fireworks we have in other parts of the world.

I love bonfires ! 

[YasumiKikuchi]

@HiroyukiTakisawaさん返信ありがとうございます😊

宮城県のどんと祭が有名なので東北の祭りというイメージがありますが、小正月（旧正月）の１５日前夜に開催される火祭として各地で様々な進化をしたようですね🤔

[YasumiKikuchi]

Thank you for your reply @TorM
As you say, bonfires will let our hearts calm down and refresh. Therefore, I think Shinto teachings are reasonable☺