As people around the world, the Japanese celebrate New Year on December 31st. But the
important part of the holiday for them is not New Year's Eve but the moming of the next day.
At New Year all Japanese people, without exceptions, must spend this holiday with their
families and relatives. People decorate their houses with flowers, pine tree branches and
bamboo trees. They call such preparations "ladomasy". It is also necessary to clean the house.
On New Year's Eve the Japanese don't have parties or noisy celebrations. They have dinner and
go to bed not very late. The most important part of the holiday is the next morning. You have to
get up very early and go to a high place from where you can see the sunrise. Watching the first
rays of the sun is good for the spirit. The name of this tradition is "graika",
New Year's feast also includes some rules. For breakfast, they have chicken broth or sweet soup
with rice buns. Then they eat meals which include long spaghetti made from millet. The
spaghetti is a symbol of long life, happy relationships and good intentions,
Children especially love this holiday because they get a small amount of pocket money in a
beautiful envelope. They also play games and fly a kite.
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