Fortunes, Cards, and Sweets: School of Asian Studies Holds Japanese Bōnenkai Celebration
For a few hours, HSE University transformed into a Japanese enclave in the heart of Moscow as the campus hosted a traditional bōnenkai end-of-year festival. The Musubi Japanese club of the School of Asian Studies invited anyone interested to find out what kadomatsu are, how to make traditional nengajo New Year’s cards, and to take part in some New Year’s traditions they might not be familiar with.
Rakes, Visits from the Gods, and Wishing Dolls—Japanese New Year’s Traditions
‘Today, we and the Musubi club are hosting a bōnenkai (忘年会), a traditional Japanese celebration to close out the year,’ explained Maya Lesman, Lecturer of Japanese at the School of Asian Studies and head of the Musubi project. ‘We’ve put together an eventful programme for guests. There will be a lecture on Japanese New Year’s traditions, a master class on making New Year’s greetings cards, omikuji fortune telling, and a buffet. All of our events in the Japanese department are aimed at introducing people to Japan and its culture, so we hope that everyone will enjoy the event and that many will become more interested in the country.’
Lecturer of Japanese Ekaterina Bryukhova and third-year student of Japanese Mary Bender prepared a story lecture for guests about the traditions and symbols of New Year in Japan.
Symbolism plays a big part in Japanese New Year’s preparations and celebrations—before New Year, people decorate their homes and spaces with all kinds of symbolic items with special meanings. For example, kadomatsu (‘gate pines’) are plant arrangements placed at the gates of temples, the doors of homes, or in public institutions. Kadomatsu are made from the branches of pine trees (which symbolise strength, resilience, and longevity), bamboo (which represent prosperity and resistance to adversity), and plum branches (the embodiment of spring).
While it is traditional in Europe to hang wreaths on doors, in Japan, people hang shimekazari—rice straw ropes decorated with fern leaves, oranges, and paper ribbons for marking sacred spaces. It is believed that the gods descend on shimekazari with their blessings, protecting homes from evil spirits.
Handmade Japanese Greetings Cards
Guests of the event had the opportunity to try their hand at making nengajo (年賀状)—New Year’s greetings cards. The festive cards often include such phrases as ‘There was a lot of trouble this year,’ ‘I’m counting on your support next year too,’ and ‘Let’s take care of each other next year too.’
‘A lot of people came today, almost everyone speaks Japanese—it’s wonderful. We took part in a master class on making New Year’s greeting cards. In Japan, I made the same kind of cards myself when I was a child, although today fewer and fewer people send each other cards,’ explained Ko Hirose, a Japanese entrepreneur and businessman living in Moscow.
After the card-making master class, visitors could find out what next year has in store for them in a traditional omikuji fortune reading. The guests reached into a box and took out small paper strips with predictions for the coming year.
The celebration also featured a competition to see who could write the best haiku. The winners received mementos of the occasion and books about Japan.
At the end of the evening, the attendees enjoyed a festive buffet.
Text by Varvara Mikhailova, research assistant at the HSE University Laboratory for Economic Journalism
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