First sunrise

The First sunrise refers to the custom of observing the first sunrise of the year. Such a custom may be just an observation of the sunrise on a special day, just for fun, or has a religious meaning for those who worship the sun, such as the Shintoist followers in Japan and the Inuit, Yupik, Aleut, Chukchi and the Iñupiat in the Arctic Circle, for praying for good luck.

The first sunrise and torii (Kakegawa City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan)
Viewing the first sunrise of the year and praying for the world peace (Wakkanai City, Hokkaido, Japan)
Viewing the first sunrise of the year was a popular pastime during the Edo period.

Japan

In Japan, the observation of the first sunrise of the year (Japanese: 初日の出, romanized: Hatsu-Hinode) on the first day on the Old Calendar has been part of the traditional Shintoist worship of Amaterasu, the sun goddess.[1] Nowadays, the Japanese travel agents arrange trips to observe the earliest first sunrise of the year on the new Gregorian calendar in the easternmost Ogasawara Islands of the Japanese archipelago.

Korea

In Korea, there is also a custom of observing the first sunrise on the first day of the year, either on the traditional Korean calendar or the new calendar.[2]

Canada, Greenland, Russia and the United States
Three qulliqs were used while viewing the first sunrise.

In the Arctic circle, the Inuit, Yupik, Aleut, Chukchi and the Iñupiat observe the first sunrise on the first day of the year by extinguishing three qulliqs and relighting them.[3]

See also

References
  1. Yamauchi, Yuki (29 December 2016). "First sunrise of the year brings luck". Japan Times.
  2. Wong, Grace (14 December 2014). "First sunrise - Celebrate the new year with the first Sunrise". Gracing Korea.
  3. "Ancient ceremony marks new dawn in Canada arctic Lamps lighted as sun rises in new Inuit territory". Deseret News. 18 January 1999.
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