Crafting Shimenawa decorations in preparation for New Year
Recently I got the opportunity to participate in a unique new year crafting experience for the first time in my life.
Along with local school children and the staff from the YMCA, we were invited to learn how to weave and decorate Shimenawa at the YMCA campsite in Aso.
Shimenawa are long lengths of rice straw or hemp rope that is woven and used for purification within the Shinto religion in Japan.
New year is known as a time where the Shinto deities come to visit and as a sign of purification and to welcome them, Shimenawa decorations are crafted and hung up at entrances.
The day started off preparing the good luck charms that would be hung from the woven rope, including oranges and leaves.
After all the charms had been prepared we were given a short introduction followed by a live demonstration on how to create the decorations from start to finish.
I must admit I was quickly lost with the process and knew this was a technique that would take multiple attempts.
We were split into groups and each given all the materials to make our decorations as well as an extra demonstration on how to make a start.
As expected the children were far quicker at picking things up than I was and before long each had created their own decorations and moved on to helping me finish mine.
The finished product reminded me a lot of the wreaths we hang on our doors in the UK to celebrate Christmas.
The children were rightly proud of their creations and gathered together to take group photos.
All in all it was a great experience and a lot of fun spending time crafting with the children. We ended the day with a great British tradition, a quick soccer match within the surrounding camp grounds.
I wish you all a great and prosperous New Year and hope to see some of you at Michi No Eki Aso in 2024.
Best wishes
Oliver
