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The Japanese New Year
New Year (正月) is the most important celebration of the Japanese year. On New Year's Eve many families eat 年越しそば, long noodles for a long life, and at midnight Buddhist temples ring the 除夜の鐘 108 times, traditionally once for each of the 108 worldly desires (煩悩) of Buddhist teaching. The first shrine or temple visit of the year, 初詣, is made from midnight on the 1st through the first days of January. People toss coins into the offering box, pray, and draw おみくじ, paper fortunes ranked from 大吉 (excellent luck) through 中吉 and 末吉 to 凶 (bad luck), with advice on matters such as business, travel and the person you are waiting for (待ち人). Some climb hills or go to the coast to see the first sunrise (初日の出). Rural towns fill up for a few days as children and grandchildren come home, then empty again. The grammar of this lesson is the grammar of conviction and wish: に違いない, に決まっている, はずがない, としても and ものなら.