Happy New Year!
How we spent New Year's eve 2005...
We ate taco's for dinner, watched Batman Begins, then I had a wee nap and Sean spent some time on the computer. Just before 11:30 pm we started to hear the "Joya-no-Kane", the tolling of the "Tsuri-Gane" or the giant gongs kept on the grounds of the Buddhist temples. We bundled up and walked to the main Obihiro Shinto Shrine to ring in the New Year. On the way we passed a large Buddhist Shrine while the bell was being struck. It was so loud Sean jumped and we could feel the vibrations in the air. We arrived at the Shinto Shrine and waited to enter the main grounds with a few thousand folks. I was really surprised by the turn out and all the fanfare. The torches and lanterns were lit and there were so many young people. We said our prayers and thanks on the top step of the temple and then headed to the big bonfire where everyone had collected to warm up. The fire was stoked with a little too much garbage so we decided to follow tradition and head to the two Buddhist Shrines. At our first stop we were both invited by a friendly fellow attending the bell and bonfire to ring the big gong. Wow! What a thrill! If you ever have any doubt that your God can hear you then you should try ringing one of those things. I felt my teeth rattling in my skull and the vibrations wave through my body as I stood on the platform holding the thick braided rope attached to the wooden hammer. The second shrine we visited was pretty much shut down and so we headed back home at 1:15 am. We drank some fizzy apple-cherry juice and toasted in the New Year with well wishes for our friends and family and decided to put off the resolutions for later!
Happy New Year's everyone!
Love from us both,
Nancy and Sean
We ate taco's for dinner, watched Batman Begins, then I had a wee nap and Sean spent some time on the computer. Just before 11:30 pm we started to hear the "Joya-no-Kane", the tolling of the "Tsuri-Gane" or the giant gongs kept on the grounds of the Buddhist temples. We bundled up and walked to the main Obihiro Shinto Shrine to ring in the New Year. On the way we passed a large Buddhist Shrine while the bell was being struck. It was so loud Sean jumped and we could feel the vibrations in the air. We arrived at the Shinto Shrine and waited to enter the main grounds with a few thousand folks. I was really surprised by the turn out and all the fanfare. The torches and lanterns were lit and there were so many young people. We said our prayers and thanks on the top step of the temple and then headed to the big bonfire where everyone had collected to warm up. The fire was stoked with a little too much garbage so we decided to follow tradition and head to the two Buddhist Shrines. At our first stop we were both invited by a friendly fellow attending the bell and bonfire to ring the big gong. Wow! What a thrill! If you ever have any doubt that your God can hear you then you should try ringing one of those things. I felt my teeth rattling in my skull and the vibrations wave through my body as I stood on the platform holding the thick braided rope attached to the wooden hammer. The second shrine we visited was pretty much shut down and so we headed back home at 1:15 am. We drank some fizzy apple-cherry juice and toasted in the New Year with well wishes for our friends and family and decided to put off the resolutions for later!
Happy New Year's everyone!
Love from us both,
Nancy and Sean
posted by Nancy O at 1:13 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home