Hinamatsuri is an extremely old ceremony, filled with color and meaning.  Soft, red fabric is laid all over, especially on stepped tables.  On the fabric are carefully placed dolls, hundreds of them, thousands all over.  From Hello Kitty to miniature Kabuki or Geisha versions, the dolls are considered to be empty containers with a spiritually important purpose.

As people look over the dolls, remarking at their whimsy or beauty, prayers are quietly given, meant to summon into memory recollections of evil or undesirable spirits, situations and thoughts, tragedies and terrors.  The intention is to move that which has burdened you, your family or your community into one of the dolls.

Many of the dolls at the shrine, along with trinkets and sweets, will be placed in tiny straw boats, and set upon the waters of the Takano and Kamo rivers, to float away, along with the bad spirits, omens and thoughts.  More prayers are said as the participants silently watch the boats float away with their worries and fears.

Hinamatsuri provides the people of Kyoto and Japan an annual cathartic feeling, as they begin to positively look forward to a better year ahead….

“…you will cast all your sins into the depths of the sea…”  ~ Micah 7:9

In Jewish tradition, there is a similar ceremony, held at the beginning of the High Holy Days, known as Tashlich.  Tashlich is a Hebrew word, translating as “to cast away.”  It is a rarity among Jewish ceremonies, believed to be so important to spiritual growth that it is observed even on the Sabbath.

In preparation for requesting forgiveness from ourselves, each other and God, Jews keep some bread crumbs in a pocket while pondering on all of the sinful behavior they took part in during the previous 365 days.  Tradition has it that as we open our hearts and memories in honesty, the crumbs absorb our sins and grief.

It is important to do this quietly, alone, and over a long period, thinking of everyone we may have wronged, no matter how slight the act seemed to us.

To perform Tashlich, special prayers are read aloud as the bread crumbs are cast into a free-flowing body of water, such as a stream or river.  The movement of water is essential, ritually carrying the sin-filled crumbs from where they were thrown.

In Ancient Israel, lakes and rivers were few and far between, so small shallow wells (cisterns) were dug up and used.  Kurdish and Yemenese Jews immersed themselves fully in Mikvot (ritual baths) to clean themselves of their sins.  The Jews of Safed climbed upon their roofs and prayed over the Sea of Galilee below.  In Galicia, Jews prayed over tiny boats of straw, them floated them out onto the water with lit candles.  When the candles burned down, the boats (and sins) caught fire and were destroyed.

The concept of Tashlich has evolved in modern time to mean that we are not so much casting off our sins as casting off attitudes and behaviors that caused them.  It is committing oneself to work on bettering ourselves, to be more understanding, more accepting, more loving toward and caring for our fellow Man.

“Don’t be afraid to make a mistake.  But be sure you don’t make the same mistake twice.”  ~ Akio Morita

In many larger Nations, a formal period of self-imposed reflection, asking of forgivenes, and casting off of bad behaviors does not exist.  We leave it up to ourselves to realize on our own (or through friends, family or religious leaders) that this is necessary for us to grow and move forward in life.  Do we as a Nation, as a Society, run the risk of repeating our mistakes without this periodic introspection?

We tend to stand together in times of crisis, such as now, after the earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, Pakistan, China, New Zealand and Japan.  We stand together in times of great loss, as great leaders pass away or are murdered before our eyes.  In War, we are both torn apart as family at the kitchen table and bonded for life with strangers on the battlefield. We miss no chance to join together in celebration.  In the moments of greatest trial and tribulation, we can become much closer, a larger global family.

I wonder about Hinamatsuri and Tashlich.  Are we missing something important in our desire to grow closer as a family, in that we do not reach out and join together to ponder our behaviors, to ask forgiveness of our loved ones, our friends, our co-workers and ourselves?  Should we endeavor to begin, as a Nation, as a global family, to partake together in these celebrations of thoughtfulness and emotional release?

Many people are suffering recently, sleeping away from their homes, under the stars amidst terror-filled memories and dreams.  My thoughts and prayers are with those who continue to suffer.  May their pain and sorrow, the terrible tragedy of life lived hard before all of our eyes, be moved away from them, away into the deep still oceans, to return no more…

Please read previous postings on how to forgive, and how you can begin to make a difference in the World using Social Media.

A food offering for those long gone...

It’s the Festival of Hungry Ghosts in China (and surrounding nations,) a popular holiday providing a very public opportunity to ponder on relatives who’ve passed away, and to honor their contributions in one’s own life.

Popular superstition is that during the 7th month of the Chinese Lunar New Year, the ghosts of people long gone are released for a time.  Some of these spirits long to reconnect with those they’ve missed terribly.  Some, however, seek vengeance on those who may have wronged them while they were still alive.

I think it’s rather unfortunate that the United States does not have any rich, tradition-filled day to more publicly, more formally remember our relatives.  Oh, we have Father’s Day and Mother’s Day, and even Memorial Day.  But they are mere shadows of this month-long practice.  Nowadays, how many of us take the time to close our eyes and try to draw close again to those people who once filled our days with laughter (or even frustration?)

The Festival of Hungry Ghosts is not a simple, static day where we remember what our grandmothers or grandfathers did in our lives.  It’s not a time to simply think about what our parents once taught us.  During the entire 7th Lunar Month, to the Chinese celebrants, their ancestors come alive, and could be anywhere in their presence.  One person’s critical mother roams the nights, watching her once again.  Another person’s lost brother calls to him, to play once again.

During the Festival of Hungry Ghosts, we are, once again, needed by those we loved (and even feared,) whose lives were taken from us.  They are standing over us, listening.  It’s another very publicly shared opportunity to say “I love you,” or “I miss you,” or “I’m so sorry.”  It’s a terrible and wonderful feeling, to be sure.  And it is shared openly, in every alleyway and street, in the eyes of everyone we meet.

The more superstitious folk in China avoid activities all of this month that might easily cause a so-inclined ghost to harm (or even kill) them.  Some people avoid swimming, fearful they may get pulled underwater.  Some avoid flying or trips alone.  Some are simply more careful in all that they do.  Many an inopportune death during this month has been blamed on such perceived interactions.

Some do not leave their fate up to chance, and tradition has provided a method for them to assuage any anger the ghosts may still harbor after all of this time.  One time-honored practice is to leave out delicious foods.  Some burn fake currency, known as “Hell money,” as an offering.  The more complex ceremonies involve the burning of paper television sets, cars or houses.  It is believed that the burnt offerings will eventually make their way to the spirit world, where they will provide comforts to the lives of the dead.

However The Festival of Hungry Ghosts is celebrated, it is an opportunity to make amends, to heal inside for wrongs we might’ve done.  It’s another day to believe we could hold a lost loved one close to us, to look that person in the eye if even for a moment.

The month is not over, and it is not too late to contemplate those you’ve lost, and even those you were once happy to see go.  Maybe we could do with putting a slice of cake or some candy on the back porch, and to keep an eye out for people once lost to us.

It’s not too late, when the covers are pulled up under your chin and the creaks of the house echo so softly with the winds outside, to whisper a few words softly aloud.  You know, just in case someone is watching.  And listening…