Hi everyone!  Today we’re going to talk about certain formalities that are performed for the New Year.  These formalities are performed by most Japanese families year after year.  For example, it’s common for every family to send out a nengajoo (年賀状) or a New Year’s postcard.  Nengajoos (年賀状) will contain the family’s address and a New Year’s greeting.  Some of the greetings might include phrases like: kinga shinnen (謹賀新年) which means Happy New Year and shoshun (初春) meaning ‘happy early spring.’  These phrases are more commonly used on nengajoos (年賀状) then in person.

The nengajoos (年賀状) come in all different colors.  Some of the most favorite nengajoos (年賀状) are of Western cartoon characters like Snoopy and Mickey Mouse.  The most generic nengajoo (年賀状) contains an image of the Zodiac animal represented for that year.  Every year, a different animal is presented from the Chinese Zodiac as the representative for that year.  If you’re not familar with the Chinese Zodiac, it’s like a type of horoscope.  In the western tradition, horoscopes are designated by the month of your birth, but Japanese horoscopes are designated by the year.  The year 2009 is represented by the ox, so you’ll see many nengajoos (年賀状) with an image of an ox.

The general etiquette is to make sure the nengajoos (年賀状) arrive at their destination before mid January.  As a result, people try to mail them ahead of time.  The post offices in Japan are always flooded with these cards, so if you’re going to tip anyone this season, tip the postman.  If there’s been a death in the family, the family may still send a postcard, but not one that is elaborately designed.  The postcard is often subdued and is more of a notice to other family members that they are in mourning.  It’s considered inconsiderate to send a festive New Year’s card to the family in mourning.  Usually families will send a condolence card instead of the traditional nengajoo (年賀状) card.

The next type of formality is one having to do with money.  Otoshidama (お年玉) is a general term for a New Year’s gift.  Japanese children often receive money from their parents and grandparents in the form of money.  The money is placed in an envelop called pochi bukuro (ぽちぶくろ).  The older the child, the more money the child receives.  It’s a way for parents to encourage or motivate their children to study harder or behave better.  I call it a form of bribing, and growing up I always looked forward to this bribing every year!

Ok, time to go.  I have many more New Year’s posts coming up, so stay tuned!