Oshogatsu Festival
The Oshogatsu Festival, the traditional Japanese celebration of the New Year, is celebrated every year in Delray Beach, Florida at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens. The Morikami, one of the most picturesque places in Palm Beach, lends a gorgeous setting to the Festival, and has been a mainstay for visitors to the area since the late 1970s.This lovely Japanese cultural center holds popular events all year long, though the Oshogatsu Festival is the most anticipated of all of them. Oshogatsu Festival Traditions
In Japan, the New Year is the most important holiday of the year. Typically, celebrations start at the end of December and last about a week. There are many traditions and families get together every year to say goodbye to the old year and start the new one off on the right foot.In North America, Japanese immigrants brought their traditions with them. A small colony of Japanese farmers first settled in the Palm Beach area in the early 20th century, growing pineapples and vegetables. The colony disbanded by the mid-1940s, but, today, Florida is home to many Japanese-American communities.
The Morikami Museum
The Morikami Museum explores the history of Florida’s Japanese community and its links back to the old country. There are fascinating exhibits showcasing traditional culture and modern, Japanese life in America, including a look at the original agricultural experiment that brought a Japanese colony to Florida in the first place.There are also a number of classes held there, including cooking lessons , Zen lessons , and ceremonies . During a visit, you can learn how to do Japanese calligraphy, how to create lovely ceramics, and how to apply Zen philosophy in your everyday life.
The Morikami Gardens
There are six unique landscapes woven into the Morikami Gardens. Each is inspired by traditional gardens in Japan, and each is intended to please and soothe your mind. There is a Paradise Garden reflecting the Japanese gardens of the 13th century; two traditional rock gardens; and a modern, romantic garden. There is a memorial to the space shuttle Challenger, and, in the heart of the gardens, a pretty tea house called a Seishin-an .Oshogatsu Festival 2012
The next Oshogatsu Festival will begin on Sunday, January 8th, 2012 . Famous Japanese lion dancers will kick off the day-long celebrations, symbolically issuing in good luck for the coming year. Then, there will be demonstrations of the traditional, Japanese tea ceremony, customary rice pounding, and calligraphy lessons. You can also receive blessings for the New Year and a glimpse at your fortune by receiving an omikuji, a traditional fortune written on a paper scroll.There will also be delicious mochi rice cakes served and live entertainment and performers in every corner of the museum and the gardens. Tickets at the door are $10, and there are discounts if you buy them online.
If you are heading to Florida in early January, the Oshogatsu Festival is a wonderful way to spend a day on your visit to Delray Beach.