A traditional local event by children,子供たちの伝統的な行事

A traditional local event by children has held on Sunday14, January.

In the city where I live there are events (traditional event) do by children, which have been done since long time ago. Its origin is said to be the Heian era (running from 794 to 1185 ), but I do not know the details. There are similar events in neighboring towns, but their nicknames are different.

We call this event "Awantori" here. The meaning of "Awantori":

The pronunciation of this kanji『粟』 is Awa,”あわ“ in Hiragana.

"とり” in Hiragana mean "taking" in English.

That is to say, "Drive away the birds that eat millet".

It seems to have come to say that the gesture to drive away the small birds coming to eat "millet" which was one of the Japanese cereal foods from ancient times was called "Awantori".

And it is said that it is the origin of praying for the productiveness of grain.

When I am an elementary school student, adults dig five holes in embankment and rice paddy vacancies on a small village basis every January 14 every year, and there are five bamboos about 10 m there.

After that, the children surround the surroundings such as daylily. And put some New Year festoon made of sacred straw in it, burn it in the evening. And we used to eat some rice cake soup etc. And we used to eat some rice cakes with soup etc. at on duty home.  Also, I brought home the bamboo that remained burned, made chopsticks etc and prayed for health.

Now, the times have changed, At Abiko third elementary school near my house, it became to do the event with all the students at on their school ground.

A reporter from a major newspaper Asahi Shimbun has come to cover this for a news.   

 私が住んでいる街では、ずっと前から行われてきた子供たちによる行事（伝統的な行事）があります。

その起源は平安時代と言われているが、詳細はわからない。また、近隣の町にも

同様の行事があるが、その呼び名が異なります。

当地ではこの行事を『あわんとり』と呼びます。『あわんとり』の日本語の意味は、

この漢字「粟」の発音は、ひらがなのあわ「あわ」です。

ひらがなの「とり」は英語で「取る」ことを意味します。

すなわち、『粟を食べる小鳥を追い払う』と言うことです。

古代から日本人の穀物食糧であった『粟』を食べにくる小鳥を追い払う仕草を

『あわんとり』と言うようになったのではと思われます。

そして五穀豊穣を祈ることが起源だとも言われております。

私が小学生のころ、毎年1月14日向けて大人達が小村落単位で堤防や稲作田の空き地に、5つの穴を掘り、そこに10ｍぐらいの5本の竹を立てくれる。

其のあとは子供たちがその周りを萱で囲む。そして、その中に正月のお飾りなどを入れて、夕方に燃やす。そして、当番の自宅で雑煮などを食べたものだ。また、燃え残った竹を持ち帰り、箸などを作り健康を祈った。

今は、時代が変わり、私の家の近くの我孫子第三小学校ではそのグランドで全生徒がその行事を行うようになった。

大手新聞朝日新聞社の記者が、これをニュースに取材するためにやってきた。

Set up a prop with five bamboo pieces

Make walls with daylily

Get New Year festoon made of sacred straw inside

Rice cakes for distribution to the individual.

Set fire　　　

Bake rice cake

Say “Awantori hoi hoi”

Greetings from the mayor of Abiko shi

Long-tailed Rosefinch,ベニマシコ、紅猿子

Long-tailed Rosefinch is called Benimashiko in Japanese and It is written "ベニマシコ” in Katakana,"紅猿子” in Kanji. In English, ”ベニ” means carthamin, and "マシコ" means monkey.

Long-tailed Rosefinch is found in China, Japan, Kazakhstan, North Korea, South Korea,

and Russia.

From the countries above, they migrate as summer bird to Hokkaido, Shimokita Peninsula in Aomori prefecture of Japan, and breeding, after that they migrate to the south of Honsyu as winter birds and overwintering at there.

The breeding areas are the plain coast, the river, the grassland with the bush of the swamp and the wetlands.

In the overwintering season from October to April, it will live in the hills, the forest edge at the foot of the mountain, the meadow, the river beds etc.

The foods during this period are the fruition of grass of the family Gramineae and the family Polygonaceae.

In the area here, they peck the goldenrod especially.(Japanese Wikipedia, English summary)

ベニマシコは日本語でBenimashikoと呼ばれ、カタカナでベニマシコ、漢字で紅猿子と書きます。英語で「ベニ」とはカートン,マシコは猿を意味します。

ベニマシコは中国、日本、カザフスタン、ロシア、北朝鮮、韓国に生息します。日本には夏鳥として、北海道、青森県下北半島に渡ってきて繁殖し、冬鳥として本州以南へ渡り、越冬します。繁殖地は平地の海岸、川、沼の藪のある草原や湿原などです。越冬期の10-4月は丘陵や山麓の林縁や草原、河原などで生活します。この間の餌はイネ科やタデ科の草の実です。当地では、圧倒的にセイタカアワダチソウを啄んでいます。（ウイキペディアの和文、英文要約）

Male

Male,left:Female,right

                              Female

                               Female

Short-eared owl

Happy new year 2018

Rōbai,蝋梅

There are few natural plant flowers here in winter, but in January it is the least among them. So, rōbai are particularly noticeable.

This plant native to China is known as làméi in Chinese and rōbai in Japanese.

Early maturing varieties are now blooming about 70% here, and have a good fragrance.

当地では冬は自然植物の花が少ないが、特に1月はその中でも一番少ない。

なので、蝋梅は特に目立ちます。

中国原産のこの植物は、中国ではlàméi、日本では蝋梅と呼ばれております。

早生種は、当地では、今70％ぐらいの開花をしており、いい香りを放っております。

My first visit of the year to a shrine

Following the customary practice of Japanese, yesterday, on January 2, as the beginning of the new year visiting, my wife and I had a visit to the Shibasaki shrine, where is located in my hometown near my residence.

The shrine is said to have founded in 939, and I used to play usually around this shrine when I was a child.

 日本人の慣例に従って、昨日、1月2日、新年の訪問の始まりとして、私の妻と私は、私の故郷の近くにある柴崎神社に初詣しました。

神社は939に設立されたと言われています。

私は子供の頃、この神社でよく遊んでいました。

 This stage is called "kagura 神楽", which is the place Shinto music and dancing.

 After you read paper fortune of your's,you tie it here.

                               Climacteric year

Happy New Year 2018