2013年1月10日木曜日

Kadomatsu decoration to welcome New Year

"Kadomatsu" is one of "the" new year decorations placed at the entrance of a house, company building, store etc. Pic below is kadomatsu placed at the entrance of shopping mall right underneath Tokyo Skytree. It's always placed in pairs to frank the entrance.

People put "kadomatsu" to let a New Year god take notice of their house and cajole him in. If he comes in, the family will have a good year. A New year god likes to perch on a tree branch with a bunch of green leaves; hence kadomatsu. I think there are a multiple number of New Year god (if not, how come he can walk in or fly in many houses on the same day?). He's definitely so small and light-weighted as to be able to perch on a tree branch without breaking it.

Basic components of modern kadomatsu are bamboos, pine needle leaves and a rope(s) made from rice straws.

Kadomatsu pair placed at the entrance of a shrine. Notice bamboos have full height and leaves intact, while Skytree's bamboo tops are truncated. The shrine's pair is an old style mostly seen, say, many decades ago.

This pair is a simplified form of the modern kadomatsu at another shrine. Most people put kadomatsu of this style at their houses because it's less costly.

Above is a simplified decoration of another type being suspended from the center of the beam of the entrance.

0 件のコメント:

コメントを投稿