Dewey County advocate. [volume] (Timber Lake, S.D.) 1910-1913, 1910-12-30


ing up takes place. fresh, green
branch of the bamboo tree, with it's leaves and
twigs to symbolic good fortune, is used as a
buster in completing the thorough sweeping. At
this time the soft rice mats of which the floor
ing in Japanese homes is made renewed in
order that the callers at the New Year may be
received where they enjoy a spotless footing
At this time, too, all matrons and maids are
busy getting ready for wear on New Years day
kimonos that shall have no trace In them OF the
vanished past. To old and young the daily theme
of thought and talk is the coming New Year."
full as much as christmas" is to us.
Outside the houses symbolic decoration has
full sway. andtransforms the thoroughfares into
gayy colore nd evergreen avenues. The tree
less streets arr turned, for the time being, into
vistas of swaying bamboo and pine trees. Before
each house entrance, according to the tenants
purses and taste, stands kind OF archway Its
pine branches, supposedly male and female, on
the right and left, and the tall triple bamboo
shafts (both trees symbolic of longevity that Is
of hardness that has borne the storms and
struggles of long life into rugged old age) well
come the visitor Over head, spanning the space
between these uprights of the arch. is decorat-
ed rope always of rice straw, having on 1t various
pendants arranged in series of seven, five and
three Qucky numbers). The rope recalls one OF
the most revered and poetic traditions of the JAP
anese past. The goddess, the ancestress OF
the imperial house of the empire, was angered
with her brother in the ancient days. and In re-
venge hid herself in a cave. Darkness then pre-
vailed in heaven and over the earth The gods,
in their perplexity, tried to induce her to come
out of her hiding place. But in vain did they
n appear until, in dance they had arranged, she
was induced by taunt that touched her vanity
to open the door of her selfchosen dungeon one
of the gods then drew>her forth, and, to prevent
her running back into the cave, stretched straw
rope across the entrance. The perpetual shining
0f he
Eized in the garlanded barrier hanging above each
Japanese portal at New Years time.
Among the most noticeable and significant cb-
Elects ornamenting these doorway arches is scar
let lobster, embedded among some branches OF
bush whose old leaves remain unshed until after
the young leaves have budded. The lobsters
crooked body tells of old age bent with years.
while the bush branches around 1t show how
parents remain while children and chill
lren's children may come into being In the
anne decoration fronds of fern are placed, whose
pairs of leaves symbolic welded life The or
Inge, whose color brightens the clustered SYM
oils, bears name which, as pun, means gen
ations," and tells of family perpetuity. Sea-
ICED is there. too as a memorial of good fortune,
mmemorating also the prehistoric conquest OF
orea by the Empress lingo. Her troops were IN
niger Of defeat because their horses on the Ko-
m seashore starving from lack OF food
{, by inspiration, she ordered seaweed to be
pcked from the waters of thP beach and given
the horses who then were SO invigorated that
n carried their riders to glorious victory.
bel white bands of paper wave over the gar
ds Of the doorway arches symbolic of the an
e offerings that have the favor of "the
lad gods"
Utter busy ,gsekg Of preparation at last the
Ing day Of year comes. On New Years
the whole country is astir and every place
needs light for use or beauty is frightened.
lhrough that night the people stay out of bed
80 tho old year pass and to welcome the new.
Hants do not go to bed until the dawn OF
Years day. ALL the business accounts OF
{losing year must be settled that night, and
very sense Of the word the year be begun
- among those Japanese who are guided by
Did social order. All things made new.
luck, bad feelings, unsettled debts, all
done away with and new chapter of life
ID filed with happy prospects. The COM
renewal Of old-fashoned Japanese life at
few Year is well shown in one of the names
the day hears. San Gan. "The Three Begin