The end of the year is the season of oosouji.
Oo = big
souji = cleaning
People clean the house or workplace so much.
It is good chance to wash and clean the stuff you usually can't do.
I heard that people do oosouji to prepare for inviting God to their house.
There is a word, "Susubarai".
Susuharai is the event that happens at the shrine or temple.
The Shinto priest clean the shrine. This event also has the other meaning.
Susuharai is for cleansing evil or misfortune. There is a meaning of an exorcism.
Actually, I heard that cleaning a room is good for life.
Buddhism focus on the importance of cleaning. The Buddhist monk have to
get up early in the morning, and they have to clean the temple.
I guess Zen also focus on the importance of cleaning. I have read about that on the book.
I will do oosouji in this year.
4 comments:
Interesting tradition. Reminds me a bit of a "cleaning" ritual we have in Bulgaria, where we clean our bodies before big religios holidays - its a form of fasting, where we abstain from certain foods - mostly meat, and products that come from animals. Those usually last for weeks. As the years pass by, I think this tradition is loosing ground - young people these days don't do it much.
Wish you a good day :)
Oh, is that the custom peculiar to Bulgaria?
That's interesting.
I have never heard of it.
Thanks for sharing.
In Germany people do this in spring. We clean everything very well then. (House, car, workplace, etc)
I don't know if all Germans do this, but I know a lot of those who do it ^^
That's interesting.
I did not know about that.
Thanks for sharing.
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