Dondo-yaki

This year we attended our very first dondo-yaki! This is a Japanese New Year tradition where grasses, pine branches, and new year decorations are burned to release the ancestral spirits that reside in them during the new year. It is considered very disrespectful and bad luck to simply throw away the decorations, since in essence you're throwing away the spirits. Also, reusing the same decorations year after year is looked upon in the same way since you're not allowing the spirits to go on their way. Instead, burning them releases them back to the heavens. This is a huge community event that takes place in any fire safe area, such as large, cleared fields, river banks, or beaches. The event occurs after the first week of the new year, generally anywhere between January 7th-15th.

The dondo-yaki we went to was located on a beach on the east coast of the peninsula we live in, so we got front row seats to the sunrise! The goal is to have the pyre be fully aflame when the sun comes up over the horizon and usher in the new day by celebrating a new year while sending spirits into the ether with your wishes. It is said that warming yourself by the burning pyre will bring you youth, and eating food roasted in its fire will bring you health. It's tradition to roast mochi and oranges by the pyres and eat them. During the entire event, drumming and flute playing takes place, and people race to the pyre to add their decorations or charms to the fire.

To make this easier to follow (and for me to post) I'm going to break the photos down into 4 segments. This one has the sunrise photos from that morning. It was so beautiful and we had the absolute best weather. We got to the beach just before day break and the sky was on fire!

Mochi on a roasting stick at sunrise