Thursday, December 30, 2010

Happy New Year! Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu!



Pictured here is a kadomatsu, a Japanese new year tradition I did not learn of until I moved to Hawaii 16 years ago.

Kadomatsu are positioned in front of people's homes and in pairs until January 15. They are made of pine and bamboo, and sometimes feature ume (plum) tree blossoms. After the 15th, I'm told, they are burned.

Happy New Year! Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu! Thank you for your interest and support as this special odyssey into history continues to unfold.

Historically,

Jeffrey Bingham Mead

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