Oharae (Great Purification)

What Is Oharae?

December 31 is "Oharae," the Great Purification. Held at shrines nationwide twice a year, on June 30 and December 31, it is a rite for cleansing the impurity and transgressions a person accumulates without realizing it, and for warding off misfortune. The December rite is known as Toshikoshi no Harae, the year-crossing purification.

A Rite Recorded in Ancient Law

Oharae appears in the Jingiryo, an ancient legal code, as a rite performed at the court in Kyoto on the last days of the sixth and twelfth months. The Engishiki, a legal compendium of the early Heian period, also records the sixth- and twelfth-month purifications, showing how long the practice has continued.

• When: twice a year, on June 30 and December 31
• December name: Toshikoshi no Harae, the year-crossing purification
• June name: Nagoshi no Harae, the summer-passing purification
• Purpose: to cleanse the transgressions and impurity of the past half year
• Records: both the Jingiryo and the Engishiki describe the sixth- and twelfth-month rites

Passing Through the Ring of Reeds

Chinowa-kuguri -- walking through a large ring of woven reeds set up in the shrine grounds -- is the best-known observance tied to Oharae. It is most associated with the June rite, though some shrines set up a ring for the year-crossing purification as well. Behind it lies the idea of dividing the year in two and resetting body and mind each half.

Tips for Marking This Day

• Check whether a nearby shrine holds the year-crossing purification, and at what hour
• See if any shrine is accepting hitogata paper effigies
• If a reed ring is set up, pass through it following the proper form
• Look back on the past half year and write down what you would rather not carry forward

Drawing a Line Every Six Months

Splitting the year in two and cleansing at each halfway point is not far from how work is organized into terms. The Oharae of December 31 is a rite for putting in a break, so that no one has to shoulder a whole year at once.