Hatsumode: Japan's first shrine visit of the year
Why the Japanese visit a shrine or temple in early January, where the custom came from, and how railways helped it spread. A JLPT N3 reading in Japanese with translation.
Passage (Japanese)
年が明けて初めて神社やお寺にお参りに行くことを、初詣（はつもうで）と言います。多くの人は、一月一日から三日までの「三が日」のあいだに出かけますが、決まった期間があるわけではなく、一月中に行く人もいます。そのため、いつまでに行かなければならないという厳しい決まりはありません。
初詣の元になったのは、昔、家の代表者が大晦日の夜から元日の朝にかけて、その土地の神社にこもって新しい年の無事を祈った習慣だと言われています。なお、由来や数え方には諸説あります。
お参りする場所は、神社でもお寺でもかまわないとされています。これは、日本では長いあいだ神様と仏様を区別せずにまつってきた歴史があるためだと言われています。地域によっては、三つの神社を回る「三社参り」のような習慣が残っているところもあります。
なお、今のように多くの人が遠くの有名な神社まで初詣に出かけるようになったのは、明治時代の中ごろ以降だとされています。鉄道が広がり、鉄道会社がお客を集めようとしたことがきっかけの一つだと言われています。お参りでは、一年の感謝を伝えたり、健康や合格などを願ったりする人が多いようです。
Translation
Visiting a shrine or temple for the first time after the new year begins is called hatsumode (初詣). Many people go during the "san-ga-nichi" (the first three days), from January 1st to 3rd, but there is no fixed period, and some people go anytime in January. For that reason, there is no strict rule about by when you must go.
It is said that hatsumode originated from an old custom in which the head of a household would stay shut in the local shrine from the night of New Year's Eve until the morning of New Year's Day, praying for the safety of the new year. Note that there are various theories about its origin and how it is counted.
It is said that the place you visit may be either a shrine or a temple. This is said to be because in Japan there has long been a history of enshrining gods (kami) and Buddhas without distinguishing between them. In some regions, a custom such as "sanja-mairi," in which people visit three shrines, still remains.
Incidentally, it is said that the practice of many people going to distant, famous shrines for hatsumode, as they do now, began from around the middle of the Meiji era onward. It is said that one trigger was the spread of railways and the railway companies' efforts to attract customers. At these visits, many people seem to express gratitude for the year, or pray for things such as health and passing exams.
Comprehension questions
Choose an answer for each question, then check.
Q1初詣に行く時期について、文章の内容と合っているものはどれですか。
Regarding the time period for going to hatsumode, which one matches the content of the passage?
Q2初詣でお参りする場所について、正しいものはどれですか。
Regarding the place visited for hatsumode, which one is correct?
Q3多くの人が遠くの有名な神社まで初詣に行くようになったきっかけは何だと言われていますか。
What is said to have been the trigger for many people starting to go to distant, famous shrines for hatsumode?
Q4この文章全体の内容として、最も合っているものはどれですか。
As the overall content of this passage, which one matches best?
