Why do people pray on New Year's Day?

According to folklorists, this did not begin as a way to wish for good luck for the coming year, but instead originated

as a way to connect to the spirits of the dead.

For the Japanese people of old, New Year's was a time where the border between our world

and the land of the dead became fuzzy and vague.

The spirits descended from the mountains into towns and villages,

and this was seen as a special time of year.

Depending on the area, some people viewed New Year's as the coming of the harvest god,

or the coming of the spirits of their ancestors.

But regardless of where you went, New Year's was a time for the deceased.

Because of this, people often went to shrines for Hatsumolde, the first shrine visit of the year,

a tradition that continues to this day. This was a special time to spend with the spirits of the year, a tradition that continues to this day.

This was a special time to spend with the spirits of the dead.

Who knew that New Year's had such occultish origins? Hey guys, this is your host, Tara A. Devlin, and welcome to another episode of Kowabana, true Japanese scary stories from around the internet.

New Year's is just around the corner, so to begin this week's episode, I'd like to ask you guys a question.

Do you have any strange traditions or superstitions regarding New Year's?

As for me, perhaps not strange, but every year I like to watch the Wallatewa Ike-Nay special

on TV. If you haven't heard of it, it's a show where

five comedians are forbidden to laugh for an entire day. They're put into more and

more crazy situations to make them break, and if they do, they have to face a punishment

game. I first stumbled across it several years back when I was living in Japan, and I've watched

it every year since.

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