Misogi, such convenient excuse?

In Japan the New Year holiday is longer than the summer holidays. I can get off from the 28th to Jan 6th. Yeah!! So I can be relax enough? Unfortunately in December "No!" I have to write New Year cards, and clean up all my apartment, and I want to ready Osechi Ryori =New Year meal. So normally December is the busiest month for Japanese in a year. Actually we call December "SHIWASU" in the old Japanese way. It means even a Buddhist priest (who is thought hardly less affected, an imperturbable person ) runs in this month. Why do we clean up in such a cold season? Big cleaning of house is an actual cleaning, but the purpose of the cleaning might be more of a mental issue. We want to start our new year with a pure body, spirit in a clean house.

I think this "reset" idea would come from "Misogi" of the Shinto religion. Misogi is the method of purification/cleaning our body and spirit. In a religious way, there are some harder ways, for example, being exposed to the waterfall, or entering the cold sea in winter season. But Misogi is a very spiritual issue, there is not an exact way or method. A member of the Diet who resigns from the Diet over an election scandal can seek election again for a whole: "I have done Misogi". A singer who did drugs could start performing after cessation. "I have done Misogi". So Misogi tends to be used as a convenient excuse sometimes.  How do you think?

Comments

[Claire （クレア）]

I wish I had all that time off...I need to do Misogi in more ways than one、残念ながら。

[robert]

so maybe I could use that for all the goofy things I wished I had never said online? sometimes my perceived wit gets the better of my typing finger (yes, singular, I AM that pathetic..I try to get more fingers involved but they just sit and stare at the one struggling with the keyboard and want no part of that action). so... "I have done MIsogi". Wow! I feel better already. I think I'll practice saying that in the mirror, with conviction.