When doing the reading for this chapter I wanted to learn more about the ceremonial traditions. I learned about the ceremony of introducing a newborn into the shinto community. This ceremony is called Hatsumiyamairi. The baby is placed under the protection of the kami. The thirty second day after a boys birth and the thirty third day after a girl is born is when the ceremony takes place. Traditionanlly the grandmother took the child to the ceremony because the mother was seen as unclean after having a child. I also read about Shinto weddings, they are now much less popular than they used to be. They are very private weddings, just family and close friends attend the weddings. The bride wears a white Kimono to symbolize purity. These kimonos look nothing like a typical white wedding dress. There are prayers about protection from the Kami. There is a ring exchange and sake drinking.
Oshogatsu is the name of the Shinto New Year, which is one of the most important Shinto ceremonies. Theses are popular to shrine visits and it is part of a lunar calendar. The festivities last from five to six days. On new years eve temples ring there bells 108 time to remember Japans hardships.
