After the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, the joya no kane bell-ringing ceremony commences with 108 ringing peels at shrines and temples across Japan. Meanwhile, masses of visitors will line up for hatsumōde, the traditional first shrine or temple visit of the year, often done shortly after midnight on Jan. 1 or very early that morning.
If staying up until midnight or cramming in with shrine-going crowds isn’t your speed, also taking place during the first week of the year is the Shichifukujin Meguri (Seven Lucky Gods pilgrimage), which can feel less hurried in spite of visiting seven places of worship instead of just one.
The Seven Lucky Gods, also known as Seven Gods of Fortune, are a diverse group of deities comprised of different religious traditions: the native Japanese Ebisu (often seen smiling on beer cans of the eponymous brand); the Buddhist Daikokuten, Benzaiten and Bishamonten; and the Taoist Hotei, Fukurokuju and Jurojin. While different in subtle ways (for example, Ebisu represents abundance while Benzaiten, the only female deity in the group, embodies creativity and beauty), they are all believed to bring not only luck, but also prosperity, longevity and kindness, among other blessings.
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